The Paragon of Animals
by Rowena DeVandal
Summary: Part three of the ongoing saga of Logan and Angela! Angela must fight to bring Logan back to her mind, body and soul. Threats from the past and present arise and war is upon us. Rated M, language and content. Ignores X:3 entirely. NOW COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Logan, the X-Men or any of their cool stuff. Marvel and 20th Century Fox own them, much to my dismay. I am simply borrowing them for my own wicked pleasure, especially Logan. Angela, Buzz, Totem, Chasca, Sam and a whole mess of other characters DO belong to me, as well as the concept for this story, so no borrowing unless you ask first!

**Warning! This is the third part of an ongoing saga! If you have not read "Torn Asunder" and "Devil Inside", this story will not make sense!**

**AN: **Greetings readers! I am back from my vacation with a shiny new story for you! First, a couple of notes. One: Until otherwise noted, all chapters are from Angela's point of view. Two: Italics will indicate Logan's POV for early chapters, although I also use them for written messages, notes or emails within the story. It will be obvious which is which. Three: Single quotes are used for thoughts as well as telepathic communication, since that's basically thinking at each other. Any errors regarding canon characters are my own and I apologize for them profusely. So, without further ado, here's the next installment in the ongoing saga of Logan and Angela!

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**The Paragon of Animals**

Prologue

_He sat crouched on a low branch, hidden by the boughs of the massive spruce. Not a single muscle so much as twitched as he waited with infinite patience for his prey to come within range. Just a little closer, a few more feet and he could spring upon it. Moments later it took a few tentative steps towards the tree where he was poised, searching for a place where it could still find a few blades of grass that hadn't been completely killed by the first snow._

_The attack happens quickly in a flurry of churned snow and flashing claws. He leapt from the branch with a speed that was at odds with his size, falling upon the deer before it has a chance to react to the sound of his passage through the branches. It's over in seconds and he slashes the carcass open, tearing out the heart and devouring it first. It isn't until he's cutting off large chunks of flesh to eat that the memory floods his mind, taking him back to another place, another time, one so long ago that it would boggle the sanest of minds. To him, however, it's overwhelming._

_He was a man, back then. He can remember that, being a man. But even then, he was an animal. He'd taken down another deer not unlike the one before him. And that girl was back, the one with bright red hair. She was talking to him like he was man, not at all frightened with the changes happening to him. She's doing something, hanging things on a line while he butchers the carcass. She's surprised at how much he's changed, becoming a man of the forest, a natural hunter (predator). She asks how he learned such things and he says, "I don't know, it's just, you know…an urge."_

_He shakes his head to rid himself of the memory. He isn't a man. He killed that girl (Rose, her name was Rose and I loved her), buried his claws in her and held her as she died. Even as that fleeting thought breaks through the haze of his mind, the face of the woman in his arms changes again and again. He sees a beautiful woman with long black hair like silk, blood staining her kimono. He blinks and she's now a pretty young girl with blond hair, some of it matted to the side of her head where her head impacted with a wall. Another blink and he's holding a woman wearing army fatigues, her hands clenched to her stomach to try and stanch the flow of blood from the knife wound, her eyes locked with his as she smiles. Again he blinks and she's a lovely young girl, barely a woman, her dark hair pulled back into a ponytail except for the shocking white locks that frame her face, her face serene, her skin ice cold._

_He throws his head back and howls with grief and rage, frightening the few remaining birds and animals into retreating. With supreme effort, he forces the memories back down, trying to lock them back into the dark corner where they came from. He doesn't want to see these things, doesn't want to know. The visions finally retreat and he falls back upon the carcass, eating his fill and leaving the rest for scavengers. He cautiously stalks back to his lair for the night, exhausted beyond all reason. While he sleeps, more bits and pieces will come back to him, little flashes of other places, other lives, other people dead because of him. He whimpers in his sleep, the pain of the past mingling with the pain of the present. It's too much for him, too much for so simple a creature to process. He may have been a man once upon a time, but that was then. Now he is what he is, an animal, overcome by his instincts and the pain of a life lived too long. Which is fine, as far as he's concerned._

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Chapter 1.

It took more than three days for the storm up in Alberta to pass. In fact, it took almost a week. As I waited, I spent most of my time in the Danger Room, beating up everything that it could throw at me and begging Buzz to program more. I stopped teaching, my heart no longer in it, and whatever time wasn't spent killing virtual opponents was spent in a kind of white haze. I could hardly bear going to sleep, usually dropping into an exhausted slumber in the wee hours of the morning. Even then I was haunted by his many faces, from the gentle one reserved just for me in our most private moments to the feral snarl he gave me before disappearing into the wild. I was cold all the time. I couldn't remember the last time I'd been warm.

Rogue was still in a coma then, her body healed but her mind still refusing to come back. I went to see her at least once a day, hoping that by telling her stories about the man we both loved would help her come back to us, but she stubbornly refused to wake up. I'd grown to love her like she was my own. She was a little younger than my Emma would have been, but that didn't matter. She was the only one who would have understood what I was going through.

Out of concern for Rogue's condition, the Professor called in a colleague of his to help out. Dr. Hank McCoy was a former student of Xavier's and had gone on to become of the foremost experts on mutation in the world. Despite his outward appearance, he was one of the gentlest people I've ever met. Sam was thrilled when he appeared at the door two days after what I'd begun to think of as "The Alberta Disaster". Sure, our mission to save Scott had been a success, but the price that had been paid was too high as far as I was concerned. Scott wisely stayed away from me during that week, knowing that there was nothing he could say to me that would make me feel better.

I just wanted Logan back.

Six days after we got back, Charles asked me to come to his office. I was in the middle of another Danger Room scenario, fighting a bunch of virtual enemies while the angry sounds of Ministry, Rammstein and other bands filled the air. I ended the program, pausing a moment to catch my breath before grabbing a quick shower. I walked slowly to his office, my feet taking me there automatically while my mind continued to obsess over that last moment in the woods with Logan. Was there something I could have done differently? Something I could have said? I didn't know then and I still don't know.

Charles called out to me to enter before I could knock, a habit of his I desperately wished I could break. I pushed the door open and stopped dead. I had thought he wanted to talk to me alone, but there were three other people in there with him. Sam sat on the loveseat, his bulk taking up more than half of it. Chasca stood near the window, her bat-like wings folded around her with Totem sitting near her in one of the chairs at the chessboard. I took a moment to compose myself and closed the door carefully behind me.

"Professor." I said as I took a seat in an armchair.

"Angela, how are you?" He asked, his features carefully neutral.

"I know you don't need to ask. So why don't we cut the bullshit and get right down to business, ok?"

"Very well." He moved his chair around to the front of the desk. "I just wanted to let you know that the weather in Alberta has finally let up. You can go any time to search for Logan."

"Good. Have Storm get the jet ready, I can be ready to leave in an hour." I stood up to leave.

"Angela, wait." He said. "You can't go alone."

"Oh yeah? Watch me."

"Please, sit down and hear me out." I looked at him warily but complied, lowering myself back to the chair. "I know you are the one best equipped to get Logan back, but you will need help while you're out there. The other Weapon X mutants have been in and out of that area since he…disappeared. I believe they are trying to get him back as well."

"So what? There's no way I'm risking anyone else out there!" I said defensively. "I'm not stupid! I know that's why these guys are here. You want me to take them with me. The answer is simple. Hell no."

"Angela, please." Totem said and I snapped my head around. "The Professor did not ask us to do this."

"What are you talking about?"

"We volunteered." Sam replied and I turned to him slowly. "We weren't the only ones. All of Beta team wanted to come. So did Scott."

"It's true." Chasca piped in. "But we are the ones that the Professor said would be most helpful."

"No, there's no fucking way." I turned back to Xavier. "Professor, I can't take them with me! Scott sure, Sam maybe. But…"

"I understand your reasons, Angela." He said. "But I assure you, this is the best team to go with you."

"How do you figure? No offense to Kyrohyou, but it wasn't all that long ago he was trying to seduce me! And Chasca? She's barely trained!"

"She was also living on her own in the jungles of Peru for four years before we picked her up, not to mention that Logan saw to her training personally. Sam is a fully trained X-Man, even if he hasn't been active for very long. And you know that I removed all the telepathic controls that both you and Kyrohyou had implanted. There's also the fact that he has the same training you and Logan do."

"Charles, I hear what you're saying. But Logan is very dangerous right now. I don't know if anyone else will be able to get through to him except me! I can't guarantee their safety if they go out there!"

"We know the risks, Angela." Totem said. "But I made a vow to you and this is how I choose to honor that vow. I would be dishonored if I did not try."

I glared at him. "That's not fair."

"That is correct. It is also true."

Chasca stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. "And where he goes, I go. Is that not what you do when you love someone?" I glared at her too and she just looked at me impassively. "You go after Logan because you love him, do you not? So I will go with Kyro, because I love him."

I turned to Sam. "So what's your excuse?"

"You and Totem are stealthy, clever and fast but you're not strong. Who besides Logan would you want at your back if not someone who can uproot a tree with his bare hands?"

I gritted my teeth in frustration. "I can't win this, can I? You'll just follow me if I try to go alone, won't you?"

"To hell and back if we had to." Sam replied firmly. "I have a tremendous amount of respect for both you and Logan. But it's also my duty as an X-Man to help you. You might as well accept it."

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. "Fine, whatever. I know when I'm beat." I looked back to Charles. "When are we leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning. Storm will take you in the jet and drop you off where you were before. You will each have a communicator so we can keep in contact with you as well as the short range ones that we use on missions. They're all rechargeable with a small solar device, so you won't have to worry about that."

"Fine. Anything else?"

"How long do you think it will take you to find him?"

"I don't know. He might be completely feral right now, but his training is too ingrained. He'll be hiding and if he thinks he's being stalked, he'll run. He's very, very good at what he does; probably the best and I don't just mean the killing. If he doesn't want to be found, the odds are small that we'll be able to find him."

"I understand. In that case, we'll arrange to bring you supplies once every ten days until you find him or you are forced to give up."

"I won't give up. As long as I'm alive, I won't give up until I get him back." Tears suddenly stung my eyes and I swallowed hard to fight them back. "I can't live without him."

Xavier just smiled and reached over to clasp my hand briefly before moving his chair back to the desk. "Now that this is settled, I'll let you all go to get packed. Good luck and Godspeed."

We filed out of his office and went our separate ways to prepare. When I got to my room there was a note from Hank taped to the door.

Angela,

I have heard about your mission and wish to examine you once more before you go. I know you have an amazing constitution, but I will feel better knowing you are suffering no lasting effects from your injuries. Please come to the infirmary as soon as you can.

Hank

I growled in frustration and made my way to the elevator. For someone who's supposed to be so smart, he sure had some peculiar blind spots. I'd already demonstrated my healing factor for him, but he was still insistent that I could have suffered some kind of permanent brain damage or something when Logan hit me. Never mind that I have an adamantium skeleton, skull included. Never mind that it hadn't actually killed me or anything. But I liked Hank so I could indulge him if he felt it was necessary.

The elevator opened onto the polished steel corridor of the lower level and I turned towards the infirmary. I paused for a moment to check on Rogue, whose condition hadn't changed in the slightest despite Hank's efforts. I promised her I'd visit her before I left and went to Hank's office.

He was sitting at his massive desk, hunched over a computer. He paused every now and then to write something down in a notebook or take a sip of coffee, but was otherwise focused on the monitor before him. I tapped on the doorframe and he looked up and grinned.

"Angela! So good of you to come!" He greeted like he'd invited me to tea. "Please, have a seat." He indicated a chair next to his and I sat down. I looked at the computer, but whatever he was working on might as well have been written in Sanskrit.

"Uh, what the hell is all that?" I asked with a nod towards the monitor.

"Oh, nothing my dear. Just a bit of research I've been working on." He took a few more notes then shut the computer down. "I suppose I don't have to ask how you're doing."

I shook my head. "Probably not. I'm terrible. I feel like I'm missing an arm or something."

"I wish I could say I understand, but we both know that wouldn't be true. But I have every confidence that you will succeed in bringing him back."

"Thank you." I whispered. "Can we just get this over with? I have a lot to do."

"Oh, of course! Of course. Right this way." He stood and we went back out to the infirmary.

I hopped up on a table and for the next hour he poked, prodded and otherwise made a nuisance of himself on my person. He checked my vision, hearing, reflexes and anything else he could think of. He ended the exam by taking about a quart of blood out of me. "I just have a few things to check here and then you can go." He said and went back to the lab portion of the infirmary. I took the opportunity to visit Rogue.

"Hey Marie." I said, pulling up a chair to sit next to her. "I'm going out to find Logan tomorrow, bring him back to us. I don't know how long I'll be gone or what kind of shape he'll be in, but I'll bring him back if it kills me. Sam, Chasca and Kyrohyou are coming with me. They volunteered and I know they'd just follow me if I tried to leave them behind. I just wish you were here so you could come too. I wouldn't leave you behind for anything in the world if I had it my way. I know you're still in there and I hope you can hear me, so I just wanted you to know that. And if you wake up while we're gone, make Storm bring you out to us, ok? I'll tell Hank and the Professor too, so they don't try to stop you." I heard Hank clear his throat behind me. "Look honey, I have to go. Hank's got something to tell me. You just get better, you hear me? I love you, Rogue. I'll be back soon and I'll bring him with me."

I walked over to Hank and he gestured for me to sit back on the table. He didn't say anything for a long time, just made a great show of rechecking some of my vitals. After a few minutes I got fed up. "Hank, we already did this. What's up?"

"What? Oh, just wanted to recheck a few things." He pulled a chair over and sat down. "Angela, what are my chances of getting you to delay going after Logan for a little while?"

"How about 'nonexistent'? Or does 'no fucking way' make the point better?" I glared at him. "I'm perfectly fine, Hank. I'm going."

"Well then how about sending someone else in your place? Scott perhaps, or someone from Beta team?"

"Again with no fucking way!" I hopped off the table and started out of the infirmary. "Thanks for the checkup, I have shit to do."

"Wait!" He cried and I felt his hand clasp around my bicep. "Please, come back here and sit down." I rolled my eyes, but let him lead me back over to the table. I climbed back up and glared at him as he sat back in the chair. "As a doctor, it is my duty to make sure you are aware of the possible consequences of your actions."

"Hank, I'm fine! I'll heal from anything that isn't mortal and even then, I'll come back. What is there to be aware of?"

"Angela, you're pregnant."

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**Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **Posted with the first chapter...i don't think i'll bore you with it anymore...:)

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Chapter 2

I felt myself go pale when he said that. A thousand different things were going through my head, a thousand different feelings. I didn't know what to say, so I settled on "What?"

"You're pregnant. You're not very far along. I know this is terribly intrusive of me, but when was the last time you and Logan…" He trailed off.

"Uh the night before we got Scott back. A week ago."

"Then I'll venture a guess and say a week, no more than two weeks for certain." He gave me a stern look. "I'm sure I don't need to tell you that it's terribly risky for you to go haring off into the wilderness right now, no matter what the cause."

"Hank, I have to do this! Even more now than I did before! Logan…gods, he'd be so happy right now!"

"I understand your feelings about this. But this raises so many questions about the nature of your mutation and how it might affect the baby."

"Hey, this isn't my first one you know. I had another child, a daughter. She was killed by Stryker."

"And how did that pregnancy go? Were you ever killed while you were carrying her?"

"Oh. Um, no I wasn't. I was living a pretty normal life, had a job, a home, a lover who left as soon as he found out."

"That's exactly my point! If something were to happen to you out there, I can't guarantee the baby would survive."

"And there's no way to find out." I looked down at the floor, tears welling up in my eyes. He had a point, I knew that, but I couldn't stay here either. I had to do this. "Hank, I understand your concern, but I have to go. Just promise you won't tell anyone, not until we get him back."

"Angela…"

"PROMISE ME!" I yelled. "No one can know! Not Scott, not the Professor, NO ONE."

"You are my patient and everything in here is privileged information. Of course I won't tell anyone." He took out a pad and scribbled something on it before tearing it off and handing it to me. "But I want you to go into town and have this filled before you leave. It's a prenatal vitamin with iron. There's also a prescription for nausea in case you have any morning sickness, but with your mutation it may not be a problem. And whatever you do, do not take any unnecessary risks! You have extremely capable people going with you, let them help you, all right?"

"I will, I promise." I slid off the table as he stood and impulsively hugged him. "Thanks Blue."

"Congratulations, my dear. Now get out of here before I try to talk you into staying home again."

I gave him a mock salute and left the infirmary, shoving the prescriptions in my pocket. I felt lighter than I had in days and the cold lump in my center was a little smaller. At the end of the next summer, I was going to have Logan's child. Was it a boy or a girl? Would it inherit our mutation or be something completely different? I know a little about genetics in general, most mutants do especially if they went to the Xavier School. But I had no idea how the gene decides if mutations are inherited or not. It was something I would have to worry about later. Right now, I had to make a town run and get this stuff in the mansion without anyone knowing.

I slipped down to the garage without being spotted by anyone and got away with a minimum of fuss. With a car like my GTO, it's impossible to make a quiet getaway, but I timed it so that all the kids were in class when I left. I managed to get to the city without breaking too many laws, which was almost a miracle. I love opening it up as far as it will go and flying down the road, especially Graymalkin Lane with all its twists and turns. However, I had to start being more careful about things, which I really wasn't used to. It was with that thought in mind that I made another stop to the pawn shop.

I haven't actually fired a weapon since Alkali Lake. They'd trained me in the use of every firearm imaginable, but I had rarely used them. My talents were in close-quarters fighting and infiltration, so a firearm of any sort would have been pointless. Logan was so good with a rifle it was scary and I'd often wondered if he'd been a sniper when he was with the Special Forces. At any rate, I figured that it wouldn't be a bad idea to have a bit firepower at hand just in case we ran into anything we couldn't handle, especially because no one on this team had a projective power, unless you counted Chasca's echolocation, which only worked on people with sensitive hearing.

I looked over the selection in the shop and settled on a Glock nine millimeter. It would be enough to take out just about any wild animal that might threaten us and would give me something else to wound Asp and Tigress with. As Weapon X operatives, they had healing factors of their own, but it's possible to overwhelm the system and make them shut down if you can injure them badly enough. I figured a few dozen bullets to the gut would work just fine in that instance.

With my purchases made, I returned to the mansion and slipped back to my room before anyone could ask me what I'd bought. It still felt so empty in there without Logan, but this would be my last night in there for some time anyway. I got my duffle bag out of the closet and packed the clothing I wanted for the trip, mostly cargo pants, tank tops and sweatshirts, but I also slipped in a few things for Logan. I didn't know what would be left of his X-suit when we found him and much as I love him to be naked all the time, it was seriously winter up there and I didn't want him to freeze anything important.

I checked the time and saw that dinner was just getting underway. I hadn't eaten with the rest of the school in a week and I figured I might as well since I'd be leaving in the morning. I slipped into the dining room with the last of the stragglers and took my usual seat next to Kurt. I swallowed a lump in my throat at the seat next to mine, respectfully left empty. No one here wanted to think that Logan wouldn't be coming back and that meant more to me than they'll ever know.

"How are you, mein freund?" Kurt asked sympathy etched in his features.

"Holding up." I replied scooping mashed potatoes onto my plate. "We're leaving in the morning to go find him."

"Ja, I know. I vanted to come vith you, but the Professor asked me to stay."

"He's right, Kurt. I know you can handle yourself in any situation, but the kids need you here more than I need you out there."

"I know. But Logan is mein freund and he vould do the same for me."

"He would also want to make sure everyone here was safe and he'd feel better knowing you were here doing just that."

"You do not play fair, did you know that?"

"It's part of my charm." He smiled when I said that and I realized that it was the closest to a joke that I'd come since waking up in the infirmary a week before. I sighed and started eating slowly, but picked the pace up a bit when I saw Hank scowling at me from the other end of the table. He gave me a knowing wink and I even managed a second helping before we adjourned to the patio.

It was getting to be too cold to be out there for long, but Storm did what she could to keep the wind down and the temperature to a tolerable level. Hank gave me another scowl when I went to light a smoke, but it was short-lived when I all but gagged and put it back out.

"Angela, is something wrong?" Storm asked when violently crushed my cigarette out.

"What? No, no I'm fine. It's just stale is all." I said, making an excuse. I stayed out there for less than an hour, sipping a single brandy (again under Hank's scowl) before excusing myself for bed. I wasn't surprised when Sam caught up with me before I made it to the stairs.

"Angela, hold up!" He said, jogging to catch me.

"What's up?" I asked, running my fingers through my hair.

"Don't give me that. There's something going on with you and I have a right to know what it is before we leave."

I sighed and motioned for him to follow me. I waved him into my room once we got upstairs and locked the door behind us. He sat gently in the single armchair and I perched on the side of the bed with a sigh. "Sam, promise me this never leaves this room, ok?"

"The rest of the team has a right to know too." He replied evenly.

"Fine, I'll tell them once we're on the ground again tomorrow. But you can't say anything to anyone, not even Storm, got it?" He nodded and I sighed again. "I'm pregnant."

His eyes widened and his jaw all but hit the floor. "You're…I mean…Angela this is great news!" He reached out and clasped my hand. "You must be so happy!"

"I'm thrilled, actually. I think it might be the one thing that'll bring Logan back better than anything else I can think of short of overloading his healing factor and putting him in a coma."

"You think it might come to that?" I nodded and he cursed softly. "I promise you, we'll try everything in our power to ensure it doesn't come to that, all right."

"Thanks Sam."

"Anytime. So, what does Hank have to say about this adventure we'll be undertaking tomorrow?"

"Basically don't get killed, because we don't know if the baby would survive that and there's no way to find out."

"I guarantee we will work extra hard to make sure that doesn't happen." We stood up and he gave me a gentle hug. "Congratulations, my dear. I'm very happy for you."

I let him out of my room and locked the door behind him. I stripped down to my underwear and pulled Logan's flannel out of the closet, wrapping it around myself before climbing into bed. As I drifted off to sleep, I could just imagine how happy he would be if he was here right now. For the first time in a week, I didn't cry myself to sleep.

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The alarm went off at the crack of dawn and I was immediately wide awake. I took a quick shower and grabbed my bag before running down to the hangar. Storm was already there with Sam doing the pre-flight routine as I settled into my usual seat as far away from the front of the jet as possible. A few minutes later, Totem and Chasca came up the ramp and Storm closed it behind them.

"Everyone settled back there?" Storm asked.

"As I'm likely to get." I replied, already feeling the panic start. I will never like flying as long as I'm alive. The hangar bay opened to the sky and Storm eased the jet out with long-practiced skill and we were on our way.

We landed about an hour later in the same place we'd hidden the jet the night we'd rescued Scott. Totem, Chasca and I allowed them a bit of privacy to say goodbye. Fifteen minutes later, she returned to the jet and we waved as it shot back towards the school. I'm not ashamed to say that we took full advantage of Sam's mutation out there. With his strength, he could have carried all of our gear without breaking a sweat. But as the de facto leader of this mission, I insisted that we all carry at least our own personal gear, not that we'd be doing a lot of major hiking or anything in the first place. The plan was to set up a base camp and scout the area in a ten-mile radius. If we didn't find any signs of him in that area in a couple days, we'd move on and repeat the process. If the weather became absolutely inhospitable, we'd have to abandon the search until spring, which was simply not an option.

The first thing we did was go back to the base where they'd kept Scott. It was remotely possible that Logan may have gone back there to finish off anyone we hadn't already killed, so it seemed like a good starting point if nothing else. We stashed our gear beneath the branches of a massive pine tree that swept the ground and set off. I was already in full alert mode, but my wariness grew when we got within half a klick of the base and encountered no sentries of any sort. A few minutes later, we reached the perimeter and I gasped at what I saw.

The few buildings that had been there were in ruins and the place looked like it had been abandoned decades ago rather than the week that had passed. I reached out and tentatively touched the fence, but if it had been electrified, there was no juice in it now. I glanced over at Sam, who stepped up and tore a huge section of fence away and tossed it aside. We cautiously approached the ruins, looking for any signs of recent habitation, but there was nothing.

"Well, this is certainly unexpected." Sam said, looking around.

"Not much here to begin with." I replied, poking through the remains of what appeared to be a Quonset bunker. "Where was the lab?"

"Over here." He led the way to what remained of a warehouse. Near the northwest corner was part of a wall with a doorway in it, leading to what I assumed would have been a stairwell. I peered into the gloom below and the stairs still seemed sound enough, so I carefully stepped across the threshold and started down.

The silence in the lower levels was so thick it was like a physical presence around us. It was also pitch black. I have great night vision, but this was beyond even my abilities. I pulled a flashlight out of one of my pockets and whispered a quick warning before turning it on. We were in a small anteroom with two doors, one to either side. The only door that was open was the one to the right, which bore the unmistakable marks of Logan's claws. I stepped carefully through, sliding the light back and forth slowly in front of me. From what I'd heard, this very hallway had been the site of a pretty major bloodbath. Now, it was as clean as a whistle, quite at odds with the apparent abandonment above. We did a quick but thorough search of the place, but except for a couple missed shell casings the place had been stripped bare. If Logan had come back here, he was long gone now.

We worked our way back to the surface. I picked through the ruins of the other warehouse a bit, but I still didn't turn up anything. With a sigh, we went back to the clearing where we'd stashed our things and set up our base camp. It had been decided that we would all stay in one very large tent as opposed to three smaller ones, in part to save on the amount of stuff we'd have to carry, but also because it would be warmer at night. Sam busied himself with setting that up while I took Totem aside.

"Kyro, did you know about this place?" I asked.

He shook his head. "No. The only places I lived were at Alkali Lake then Hudson Bay after the day you and Logan-san escaped."

"So you don't know if there's other small bases like this anywhere?"

"I could not say, but it is very likely. This one would prove the possibility of it."

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. I didn't want to entertain the notion that he'd been recaptured and we'd have to search every remote area in north America for places like this. Add to that the fact that I had no idea how many other governments were involved with the Weapon X project and the thought was staggering. No, I can't worry about that now, I thought to myself and went to help Sam.

We had everything set up in short order and put together a quick breakfast before sitting down to plan the next few days. But first, I had something to tell Chasca and Totem. "Before we start planning, there's something you need to know." I began, setting down my mug of tea. "Sam already knows, but it is something that we need to keep in mind."

"What is it?" Chasca asked, brushing a few crumbs from the front of her coat.

"Yesterday, Hank had me in for a checkup and he told me…well, I'm pregnant." The two of them just stared at me before breaking into huge grins and congratulating me. "Thanks. But this means that the search pattern I was planning on using has been shot to hell. We're not sure if the baby would survive if I get killed and come back. So, I'll need to have someone with me to watch my back. I figure you can all take turns or something, but this baby is my second most important priority."

"What do you mean, 'second', Angela?" Sam asked. "I would think it would be number one."

"No, Logan is the most important. I want this baby, gods only know how much. But we made this one, we can make another if it comes to that. I'm not going to take any unnecessary risks, but we all know how fast things can get out of control." Everyone nodded. "So, I just wanted to make sure everyone knew before we got started."

I picked up a map that had our current position marked on it, courtesy of Buzz. "Ok, this is us right now," I said, pointing to the big black X on the map, "the base is here, the mountains are all the way down here. I figure we'll search the area in a ten-mile radius until we find some signs of where he went. He's totally feral now and it's winter, so he'll have looked for a place to stay in between hunts, a cave most likely. I don't know if he'll think to stock up on food, so it wouldn't have to be a very big one, just enough to give him a place to sleep and lay low during storms. If he's in hunter mode, going after Tigress and Asp, he might move every few days if the weather permits it." I put the map down and took up my tea. I took a sip and made a face; it was ice cold. "The real problem is people. I don't know what he'll do if he encounters anyone else out here. He might just hide, but if he sees anything that's even remotely threatening, he might attack."

"And it's deer season around here right now, isn't it?" Sam asked and I nodded. He swore softly. "Damn it. That means men in camouflage with guns."

"Exactly. Fortunately, there's less than a week left, so hopefully we won't have to worry about that." I pulled an envelope out of my jacket pocket. "Now, Buzz made these up for us as cover." I handed out the I.D. badges that identified Sam, Totem and myself as being part of Canadian Parks and Forests. "We're only going to need these if we come across any bodies. We'll say we've received reports of a rogue bear or a rabid wolf and ask any hunters we come across to leave, threaten them with fines if they don't. The people up here are pretty reasonable, so they should go without a fuss." I looked at Chasca apologetically. "I'm sorry, sweetie, but there's no way to hide those wings of yours. If we have to do that, you'll have to fly up somewhere and hide."

"I understand. I do not like men with guns anyway." She shuddered. "I would only frighten them and they might try to shoot me."

"Not frighten, honey. Startle, maybe but there's nothing about you to be afraid of."

"Oh, there is plenty about me to be afraid of. Logan has been training me, remember?"

I chuckled. "True, but they can't see how good you are with that katana just by looking at you." I picked up the map again. "Ok, we'll search this area first and we need to be pretty thorough. Look for anything that might show us where he went." I indicated a portion to the southwest. "Right in here is where we found Rogue, so there will be a bit of destruction there."

"Is there anything else there?" Totem asked.

"Yeah, a creepy little cottage. Looks like something out of 'Hansel and Gretel'. Wouldn't surprise me if there was an ugly old lady in there with kids in cages." Everyone chuckled and I went on. "Anyway, he knocked me out and took off and he apparently didn't go past any of the rest of the team, is that right Sam?"

He nodded. "No one saw or heard anything. We don't even know how long it was before Colossus found you."

"Ok then. Sam, you come with me today. Chasca, you go to this area here", I indicated a section to the north, "Totem, you go here." I pointed to where the base was and the surrounding area. "Use the earpieces, code names only. We'll meet back here in four hours for lunch." I handed out the earpieces and we all put them in. I reached into another pack and handed each of them a digital camera. "Take these. If you see any signs of him, like claw marks or whatever, get a picture, even if you're not positive. We'll send the memory cards back when Storm comes on the next supply run and Buzz will analyze them for us."

"Um, Angela?" Chasca said tentatively. "I don't have a code name yet."

"Oh." I sat there and thought about it for a moment. "How about Echo? You know, because of the echolocation."

"Echo. I like it. It isn't obvious. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Let's move out."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I found his trail on the second day out. It wasn't obvious to anyone who hadn't worked with him for as long as I have, but I recognized it. Back in the Bad Old Days, if we had to slog through a jungle or forest, we would always mark trees to show what direction we were traveling by having him score the bark of a tree with a series of very shallow cuts, one for north, two for south and so on. If we were traveling say, northwest, he would make a single mark with another one bisecting it from the upper left to the lower right. He might be completely feral right now, but if he was intent on staying on the move he wouldn't want to go in circles. His training went almost as deep as the animal inside and doing something like that would be automatic for him.

At any rate, it was the second day when I saw the first marker. By the marks, he'd been traveling pretty much due west. He'd always had an uncanny sense of direction even in the worst of weather conditions, so I had every confidence that due west was the way to go. We broke down our camp and hiked to the position where I found the marker. As the others set everything back up, I called the Professor. I told him what we'd found and he relayed the information to Buzz, who would in turn feed every scrap into his computer until he figured out where Logan could be going. I asked about Rogue but there was no change there. Charles promised to send her along if she regained consciousness and I sent everyone back home my love. He also said Hank had a message for me, "Stay out of trouble", and I just laughed. With nothing else to report, I hung up.

Three days later Chasca found the next sign. It appeared that he'd turned to the north for a bit, so we broke camp again and set back up there. The day after that, we ran into the only other people we would see before this was all over. A group of hunters stumbled into our campsite one morning as we were all making our plans for the day. Chasca was still in the tent, but as soon as she heard me talking she wisely remained hidden.

"Gentlemen, can I help you?" I asked, reaching into my pocket.

"Oh, we didn't know anyone was out here 'sides us." One of them said, looking me up and down. "You hunting?"

"After a fashion." I took out my fake Parks and Forests I.D. "Melissa Arthur. We got a few reports of a rogue animal out here. Have you seen anything?"

The three men looked at each other and one stepped forward. "Well, I haven't seen the animal itself, but I've seen its leavings."

"Really?" I asked, taking out a small notebook and a pencil. "Where and when was this?"

"Oh, 'bout four days ago, a little to the northwest of here. Found a deer with its head almost cut clean off. Damndest thing I've ever seen. Heart was missing, too."

I wrote everything down. "Anything else? Are you sure it wasn't a person that did it?"

"No way, not unless it was one of them damn muties." He spat. "I mean, the way the head was cut off? Yeah, I thought man for a second. But I've never seen a man leave most of a carcass after killing it, no matter how he killed it. Whatever killed it ate what it could and left the rest."

"Very good. Thank you so much, Mr?"

"Campbell, Jack Campbell."

"Ok, Mr. Campbell. Now, I have to advise you to leave the area. With a dangerous animal like that loose, well…I don't have to tell you what could happen."

"No ma'am. We'll get out of here." They tipped their caps and left. As soon as they were out of earshot, I had Chasca take to the air to make sure they actually left. Surprisingly, they did.

As soon as she came back, we sat down again. "Ok, this changes everything. That had to be Logan's kill."

"Agreed." Sam said. "Not much else to eat out here this time of year except meat and even that'll start getting scarce soon enough."

"I know. So we have to find him and soon. Ok, we'll focus our search in here today." I said, indicating a fairly large area to the northwest. "Echo, you're with me today. I want you in the air looking for anything that might serve as a lair for him. I'm going to try and find what's left of that carcass after four days."

"Do you think he's still in this area?" She asked.

"Probably not. He's migrating towards something, I just don't know what. But this is the best lead we have and we're taking it."

Everyone nodded and we set out. My spirit felt lighter than it had in days now that we had a hard direction to search in. The days and nights were getting colder and I didn't want to go back home until I had him back. Even then, I didn't think it would be wise to take him back to the mansion. Still, that was something I'd worry about later. For now, finding him was all that mattered.

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**AN:** Well, this is off to a good start, yes:) Don't worry, the action will pick up soon enough...:) Special thanks to Turiel Tincdaniel and Zac for being the best beta readers ever...Extra Special thanks to DBK(tm) for being an inspiration and a pain in the ass...:) Super Special thanks to all of the readers, even if you don't review (though i wish you would!)...and Super Swanky Special thanks to those who DO review...right now, that's Miss Lover Girl, Ineluctability, Sela103 and reeltreble1031...you guys rock!

**Please review...it makes me happy and keeps me inspired to keep writing!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** You know who doesn't belong to me...Angela, Sam, Totem, Chasca, Asp and Tigress DO belong to me...hands off...

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Chapter 3.

I did manage to find what was left of the carcass. It was obvious that scavengers had been at it, but by the scoring on some of the rib bones it was also apparent that Logan was the one who took it down. Chasca found a couple caves that looked promising, but only one of them was currently unoccupied. I didn't even need to enter the other one to know that there was something hibernating in there, probably some variety of bear. We gave it a wide berth once we determined that and went to check the other one out.

There wasn't much in there, some pine boughs on the ground near the back and claw marks on the walls, but other than that it was empty. By my estimation, he'd moved on shortly after he'd killed the deer. Mr. Jack Campbell had probably stumbled across that carcass within hours of when Logan had killed it. He had no idea how lucky he was. I did.

We moved our base camp again, now focusing our search pattern to the north and west exclusively. He wouldn't have doubled back unless he felt like he was being hunted and we were still far enough behind him that it was unlikely he'd detected us. It wasn't until two days later that other forces aligned against us, namely Mother Nature. The Professor called to warn us about an incoming snowstorm, so we wound up losing two days because of that. Sam was a godsend during that time, going out to keep the tent clear of snow and keeping our spirits up with stories of his school days at Xavier's. It took us half a day to dig out, but again Sam was invaluable in that regard.

Of course, the new snow layer all but obliterated any surface signs of Logan, so the search was further slowed by having to check every tree that we came across for his marks. We did manage to find them and he was still moving gradually to the northwest. I still had no idea where he could possibly be going and Buzz hadn't been able to find anything, so there was no way we could attempt to head him off. The only good news was that I still didn't have any morning sickness, so that was a bonus. Still, every day that passed made me more aware of the life growing inside me, which in turn made me more determined to find Logan.

We followed his trail for three more days when it abruptly turned due west again. Two days later, it turned to the south. However, before I could do more than wonder about why he did that, the Professor called to let us know that Storm was on the way for our first re-supply. Just under an hour later, the jet landed in a clearing near where we had our camp set up. Totem, Chasca and I allowed Sam and Storm a few minutes of privacy before we set to unloading the jet. I almost cried at the sight of such simple things as clean underwear and the extra sweatshirts. It's easy to take such things for granted when you live in a huge mansion where they are commonplace. It's another thing entirely when you've been two weeks alternating between the same three pairs of pants. I hugged Storm gratefully and she just laughed and collected our laundry bags, memory cards and other information for analysis. Again, the three of us gave Sam and Storm another few private moments before she took off and we rejoined the search.

After we'd all changed clothes, we sat down in the tent to discuss Logan's change of direction. "There's only two reasons he would have done that." I began, pointing to the map. "One, he ran across a group of hunters and actually had enough presence of mind to turn so he could go around them."

"But you think it is something else." Totem said.

I nodded. "The Professor said that Tigress and Asp have been in and out of the area as well, so I think he caught on to them and did this to throw them off his trail. They wouldn't know about the markers on the trees, that's something we came up with because my mutation doesn't include a great sense of direction. And when you're in the middle of the jungle during the rainy season, it's easy to get turned around. So, he really did it for me. In a way, I think he's still doing it for me. Some part of him knows that I'm out here somewhere and he wants me to find him."

"How can you be so sure?" Chasca asked softly. "He knocked you out first thing after he went feral."

"That was a knee-jerk reaction to the situation. All he knew was that Rogue was dead and I think it knocked a memory loose in his head, something bad. I'd bet a kidney that it started a kind of cascading effect and it overwhelmed him. I was standing right there, looking ready for a fight and he instinctively defended himself against a perceived threat. It won't be like that this time."

"I don't know, Angela." Sam said, shaking his head. "You're putting an awful lot on faith here."

"I know. I can't explain it to you, not really. Kyro here, he understands it but to someone who doesn't have an inner animal…" I shook my head. "It's deeper than just loving him or needing him or wanting him back. I'm his mate and right now he's separated from me. He won't hurt me."

"What if he does?" Totem asked. "Are you prepared to do what is necessary?"

"If you mean am I prepared to take him down, the answer is yes." I reached into my bag and pulled out my gun. "I didn't bring this for looks."

"I didn't know you brought it all." Sam said dryly.

"You didn't need to know. This is only for an emergency. If you damage him enough, he'll slip into a kind of coma. It usually takes him several hours to wake up, which is enough time for Storm to come pick us up and take us…away."

"Wait, what do you mean by 'away', Angela?"

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. "I've been thinking. I don't think it'll be safe to take him right back to the mansion. He'll need time away and I have just the place." I told them about the cabin we'd hidden in after our escape from Alkali Lake. "No one but me has been in there for years. It's remote enough that Stryker's goons never found it, not even after we were dug out. I'll have Storm take the two of us there and I'll bring him back like I did last time."

"I don't like the idea of leaving you alone with him if he's not in his right mind. Especially in your condition."

"Look, you don't understand. Logan would never hurt me, not on purpose. My mind's made up, so you just have to deal with it." I hopped out of my seat and stalked out of the tent, more than a little irritated that he didn't trust me on this point. What I said was true, Logan wouldn't hurt me, not ever. The fear that I hadn't given voice to was that I wasn't dealing with Logan, I was chasing down Wolverine and that was a completely different story. I went over to the tree where the marker was and ran my fingers over the grooves, wishing I could magically see where he was just by touching them but nothing happened. I swallowed hard, holding back tears that desperately wanted to fall. A heartbeat later I heard footsteps behind me. "Sam, just go away."

"It's not Sam." I heard Totem say and I turned to face him. He walked up next to me and inspected the marker. "He does not understand how it is for people like us."

"I know. And there's no way to make him understand." I looked back at the tree, my fingers again seeking out the marks there. "You know, Logan's always going on about the animal, how it's a bad thing he wishes he didn't have. How it makes him less than a man." I shook my head. "He's wrong. He's never understood that it makes him more, better than just a man. We feel things no one else will ever feel, we love deeper than they do. We see things from both sides of our nature."

"Yes. Logan-san told me once that when you truly love someone, it is not your head that tells you but your heart, your gut. It was the first time I knew that what I was trying to do to you was wrong. I will never forgive myself for doing that."

I turned back to him. "Hey, it wasn't your fault. Stryker did that to you. But we fixed it, we took it out and now you have Chasca."

"Yes, I do and I have you and Logan-san to thank for that. She is, as you would say, my mate for life. She is not like us, she will not feel it the same way I do, but she knows in her own way." He reached over and put his hand on my shoulder. "But that is not why I came out here. I just…" He stopped abruptly as we both heard a sound and whipped our heads around to the east. He put a hand up, gesturing for me to crouch down and I complied. I watched in fascination as he shifted into his feral form of half-panther, half-man and scurried up the tree.

I quietly slipped from my position to a nearby spruce. Once there, I carefully removed my boots and slid out all of my claws, quickly climbing about halfway up the tree. I took my earpiece out of my pocket and put it in, tapping it to activate it. A moment later Sam's voice filled my ear. "Hellcat, what is it?" He whispered.

"Unknown." I whispered back. "Totem and I heard something. Be ready for anything."

"Where are you?"

"High road."

"Roger that. I'll have Echo go up and scout."

"Affirmative. Hellcat out."

I scanned the clearing for any sign of what may have caused the noise, but if it was Logan, Tigress or Asp, I wouldn't see them unless they wanted to be seen. A few moments later I heard the sound of wings and peered up through the branches to see Chasca flying impossibly high overhead. She was in her X-suit, which had to be cold but if this was going to get ugly she'd need the mobility. The pants were the same, but she also had a pair of modified tabi like mine. The main difference was she didn't have the jacket like the rest of us wore, but a racer back tank top with her katana in a special harness that allowed it to sit comfortably between her wings. A few weeks ago, she would have bitched that she was freezing, but we'd been out here long enough that she'd either grown used to the cold or else she'd just she'd just stopped complaining.

"Echo, are you live?" I whispered into my earpiece.

"Affirmative." She replied. "Where should I look?"

"Eastern quadrant. Totem is on the move."

"Roger that. Cover your ears." I removed my earpiece and clapped my hands over my ears. A moment later I heard an ear piercing shriek that would have gone unnoticed by a person with normal hearing, but for people like me, Logan and Totem it was pure torture. If that was Logan or Tigress out there, we would know.

I heard a shriek down on the ground and quickly reinserted my earpiece before bounding from my perch to the next nearest tree, heading towards the sound. A moment later I caught the sounds of fighting and redoubled my efforts. "Echo, Atlas, Totem is engaged. Repeat Totem is engaged, due east of base. Go!"

I caught sight of them a few seconds later. Totem was faced off with a fairly short man with very dark hair that was held back in a ponytail. His movements were extremely fluid and he was managing to avoid Totem's attacks with relative ease. A few feet away another figure crouched on the ground, clutching her hands to her ears. I smiled slowly even as my vision was obscured in a red haze of feral rage. Asp and Tigress were here.

I knew the effect that Chasca's echolocation could have on those unprepared for it, having experienced it firsthand during a Danger Room session once. Believe me, once was enough and it had taken Logan and me almost half an hour for the ringing in our ears to subside. I couldn't suppress my snarl as I dropped from the tree and leapt for Tigress, especially knowing that she was essentially deaf at the moment. It wasn't until I backhanded her across the clearing that she was even aware that I was there. Good.

"Hellcat, no!" I heard Totem cry out, but I was beyond any reason at that point. These people were at least partially responsible for Logan's retreat into a totally feral state and I wanted some payback. There was also the part where she was still an active Weapon X operative and there was just no way I was letting her leave these woods alive.

Tigress rolled as she hit the ground, springing to her feet with her own claws out. Her eyes narrowed as I faced off with her. "Hellcat." She said with a sneer. "My obsolete sister. Do you know how long I've waited for this?"

"You should have kept on waiting." I growled. "Only way you're getting out of here is in a bag." I didn't give her a chance to reply, if she'd even heard me. I leapt forward and feinted a slash at her throat, which she blocked as I expected her to. Even as she lashed out with her own claws, I spun into a roundhouse kick and raked my claws across her face, followed by a side kick to her stomach. As she doubled over, I grabbed her by her hair and slammed her face into my knee, breaking her nose with a satisfying crunch. Blood stained the snow beneath our feet as she cried out in pain and I jerked her head up and slashed my claws across her throat. She grabbed my hand as I completed the stroke and spun around, yanking out a huge chunk of her own hair as she jerked her head from my grasp. She dug her claws into my wrist and I bit back a cry of my own as I felt blood spurt from the veins she'd opened. Before I had a chance to retaliate, she'd grabbed me by the back of my jacket and lifted me over her head. She let loose a snarl as she tossed me across the clearing.

I twisted in midair and came down on all fours, springing to my feet and turning to face her. She was upon me a heartbeat later, lashing out with her claws. "Stupid bitch! Why go for the kill when you can go for the pain!" She screamed. I dodged under her arm and came up with an uppercut to her jaw that I followed with my other hand, raking my claws across her face. She backhanded me, opening four long cuts across my face. Blood trickled down my forehead, stinging my eyes, which only pissed me off more. Before I could react, she slammed her elbow into my nose and I felt it break, spraying blood into the snow and sending stars across my vision. I shook my head to clear it and my eyes widened when I saw her other hand raised over her head in what could only be preparation to slash my throat. I couldn't let that happen, I didn't want to chance that I would lose the baby if I died. I grabbed the front of her jacket, planted both feet in her stomach and pushed off as hard as I could. Her breath went out of her in a rush and she flew across the clearing, stopping with an audible thud against the trunk of a birch.

What happened next can only be described as a fluke of timing. I had taken a couple steps forward to finish the bitch off when I heard Echo's voice in my earpiece telling me to cover my ears again. I quickly turned my com off and clapped my hands over my ears, absently noticing that Totem had hit the ground doing the same. A heartbeat later I heard the muffled sounds of Echo's sonar and Tigress' scream. I raised my head and saw her once again clutching her ears in pain, agony written on her face. I pushed myself up to my knees but ducked instinctively when I heard Echo diving from the sky in a rush with a primal scream. She came in so fast she was a blur and I barely had time to register that her sword was drawn. I heard a loud "thunk" followed by a scream of agony and watched as she spiraled back into the sky. I stood up and looked over to Tigress, who was now pinned to the birch with Echo's sword buried in her stomach nearly to the hilt. I spared a quick glance over to Totem, but he was holding his own nicely. I brushed the snow from my jacket and approached her as Echo landed soundlessly behind me.

"Nice work." I commented as she came up beside me. "Logan show you that one?" She nodded and I smiled. "He'll be so proud of you." My smile faded when I stopped in front of Tigress. She had her hands wrapped around the handle of the sword, struggling to pull it out. "Oh no, you don't." I said as I raked my claws down her inner forearms, opening them to her metal covered bones from elbow to wrist and she lost her grip on the sword as tendons and ligaments snapped. "Ooh, that looks like it hurts."

"Fuck off, bitch." She spat, a thin trickle of blood dripping from the corner of her mouth.

"That's original. Come up with it on your own?" She sneered at me and I grabbed her by the throat, digging my claws in just enough to break the skin a little. "Now you're going to tell me why you're out here. Then I'm going to kill you. And since we are sisters after a fashion, I'll make it quick."

"Spare me your false sympathy. You're nothing but a failure."

"Am I missing something here? Because I'm not the one pinned to a tree." I slammed her head into the tree and she cried out. "Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. Neither one is going to save you from a world of hurt."

"Go ahead and try. Better people than you have tried."

I looked down and saw that her arms were more than half healed. I didn't have the time to waste with this bitch, so I released her throat and grasped the sword. "You think I don't go for the pain? How's this?" I pulled the sword out of her and brought it back down in one fluid motion, opening her up across the body from shoulder to hip. Blood splashed over me and she fell to the ground. I reversed the sword in my grip and thrust it down, pinning her to the ground. I was pleased to see that I'd managed to pull the stroke enough to prevent disemboweling her, but it was pretty close. However, she was still down for the duration.

I heard a sudden cry of agony from Totem and I whipped my head around. Asp had managed to gain the upper hand and had his arms pinned to his sides. It looked as though he was biting him on the shoulder and Totem was convulsing in pain. Echo let out a cry of horror and grabbed her sword, raising it over her head and we both lunged at the same time. I heard a low growl and stopped short. For a fleeting moment I thought it was Logan, but it was Atlas who burst into the clearing.

His features were fixed in a mask of fury and he rushed to Asp much faster than his size would dictate. He pulled Asp off of Totem by his throat, his fist a blur as it connected with Asp's mouth, knocking out teeth. When he pulled his hand back, I saw that he held something bloody in his grasp. He released Asp and punched him again, which sent him flying into the forest. Atlas looked down at the object in his hand and tossed it away with a snort of disgust. It was Asp's tongue.

I raised an eyebrow and looked Sam in the eye. "I can respect that." I said dryly. Before he could answer, Totem gasped and began convulsing again. Chasca and I rushed to his side. She knelt by his head, cradling it in her lap while I tore open his jacket and shirt with my claws. I sucked in my breath when I saw the wound on his shoulder. It looked just like a snakebite, complete with telltale puncture wounds. His skin was hot to the touch and the area surrounding the bite was black with angry red splotches around the outer area and his whole shoulder was swelling at an alarming rate. "Fuck. We have to get him back to base camp." I looked up at Sam. "I know we shouldn't move him, but we don't have a choice. Will you carry him?"

"What are we gonna do with them?" He asked, gesturing to Tigress.

"Leave them to me. Call Storm and have her bring some antivenin. I don't know if it'll work on this, but we have to try." He nodded and gathered Totem into his arms, taking off at a gentle trot. I turned to Chasca. "I need you to fly back to camp and get me something to tie these assholes up with. I'm not finished with them yet." She nodded and leapt effortlessly into the sky.

As soon as she was out of sight, I followed the trail of broken branches and blood spatter to where Asp had finally come to a rest about fifty feet away. He was a right mess and if he'd not been part of Weapon X he would have broken every bone in his body. As it stood, he'd gone right through at least one tree before stopping. With no regard to any possible internal injuries, I grabbed one of his feet and dragged him back to the clearing with some effort, dropping him next to a tree about ten feet from where Tigress still lay unconscious. Less than a minute later, Chasca returned with the straps from her spare sword. I took them from her and shooed her away, sending her back to wait with her lover. She left without hesitation.

I secured Asp and Tigress to the trees they were lying beneath. Remembering what Sam had said about the guy spitting his venom, I tore a strip off of my t-shirt and gagged him. It's always fascinating to watch the healing factor work when it's not on your own body, especially when it's regrowing something like Asp's tongue. I didn't want to give him any advantages when he came around. I sat back on my heels to wait for the pair to wake up. About forty minutes later, I heard the sound of the jet and tapped my earpiece. "Atlas, come in."

"Atlas here." He replied.

"Did I just hear Storm come in?"

"Roger that." I heard her say. "Where are you?"

"Keeping an eye on our friends til they wake up. I have unfinished business with them."

"Hellcat, Totem looks pretty bad. Should I take him home?"

I chewed my lip in thought. She had a point, but I needed him out here. "Have you given the antivenin?"

"Affirmative, but I'm not sure if it's going to work."

"Keep an eye on him for the next fifteen minutes. If his healing factor combined with the antivenin doesn't work, take him."

"Roger that."

"Hellcat, do you need a hand out there?" Sam asked.

"Negative. Subjects are still out. If I need you, I'll call. Hellcat out."

As I sat there waiting, I studied my adversaries. Dredging up the information I'd gotten from the Weapon X files we'd stolen from Hudson Bay, I knew that both of them had been recruited to the program after me. In fact, there had only been two before me and they were either dead or presumed so. Unfortunately, their files didn't include details on how they'd been recruited, so I didn't know if they'd been tricked like Totem and me or kidnapped like Logan. Either way, it didn't matter. Neither one of the people in front of me had obviously ever considered trying to get away, which in my mind made them as bad as the people who'd done this to us. I shivered involuntarily at how close I'd come to being one of these people for life. It had only been a series of flukes that allowed me to get away at all and I once again sent silent thanks to the gods for that. If only Emma had survived…

I let the thought trail off when I saw Tigress beginning to stir. My body tensed as I waited for her to regain consciousness and I hoped her bonds would hold. A few minutes later, she jerked into full wakefulness. She struggled against the straps for a moment before leveling a hate filled gaze on me. "Untie me." She said coldly.

"Now why on earth would I want to do that?" I replied as I got up. I crossed the clearing and stood over her. "Oh, wait. I know. Because you want to finish me off, your 'obsolete sister', was it?" I squatted in front of her. "Only one of us is about to become obsolete and it isn't me."

"What the fuck do you care? You know you're considered a failure."

"Why, because I still think for myself? That's rich." I shot my hand out and grabbed her by her throat. "Now, I spared you before because I want to know why you're out here. And you're going to tell me or I'll take you apart one piece at a time."

"Go ahead. I'll heal."

"Mm, maybe. But I know how to kill us. I also know how far I can go before you'll die. Unlike me, you won't come back to tell the tale."

"The hell is that supposed to mean?" She spat, narrowing her eyes.

"Oh, they didn't tell you? Well, maybe they're getting sloppy in their old age." I reached into one of my pockets and pulled out a knife. "Let's just say that's on a need to know basis. If they didn't think you need to know, then neither do I." I tossed the sheath away from the knife and buried it to the hilt in her shoulder. She screamed in pain, the sound echoing through the forest and I just knew that they'd heard it back at camp. "Now, tell me what I want to know and I won't kill you. I'll just leave you in another coma. What do you say, sister?"

"Fuck you."

I smiled coldly. "I was hoping you'd say that."

It took me about an hour, but I finally extracted the story from her, bit by agonizing bit. They'd been dispatched to Alkali Lake when one of the few intruder sensors that still functioned picked up on the jet as it landed. She and Asp had only recently returned from their assignment in the Middle East when they were sent straight up there to investigate. Their orders were to apprehend any people they found there, but their window was very narrow. That was the only reason Sam had managed to get away.

At any rate, as soon as they realized that Scott was a mutant, he was taken to the base where we found him to see if he'd be a good candidate for one of their other mutant experimentation projects. It wasn't until they'd discovered that Scott knew Logan and me that Tigress and Asp had been deployed to intercept us. Apparently, he and I were a project of our own now, something they called "Project Prodigal". I'd heard a little about it before from that bastard Wallace, but it had been so wildly unsuccessful that they no longer wasted resources on actively pursuing it. However, whenever there was a report in the news that matched our descriptions or M.O., they'd send a team to investigate and try to get us back. What they hadn't counted on when we came to get Scott was two complete teams with one as a decoy and the other to perform the actual extraction. It gave me all the evidence I needed that those people had forgotten the most important things about me and Logan, namely that we are the best at what we do. Either their training methods had started to slip or else they thought their later versions were more than a match for us. At any rate, the two of them had been assigned to retrieve us at any cost. They had correctly assumed that I would come after him and would not give up until I succeeded. However, he was still their main objective and they'd been gaining on him until a week ago when he abruptly changed direction on them. They were in the process of reacquiring his trail when they stumbled across us and the rest, as they say, is history. Yeah, I'm the best at what I do and Tigress learned that the hard way.

I sat back on my heels and contemplated the bloody wreck before me. It had been a long time since I'd had to torture information out of someone and the darkest parts of me were pleased that I still had the touch. The rest of me was pretty indifferent about the whole thing. I knew I should finish her off, gut her like a fish and strew her guts around for the wolves, but I didn't. I knew what her handlers would do to her when they picked her up and it made what I'd just done to her seem like a day at the spa in comparison. I didn't have enough pity left in me to kill her. My only regret was that I wouldn't be there to watch as they killed her an inch at a time.

Asp had regained consciousness at some point during the proceedings, but I'd ignored him until I was done with Tigress. Once she'd passed out again, I turned to him, pointing my gore-stained knife at him. "So, do you have anything to add?" He shook his head, eyes wide with horror. "Well then, I guess I'll just put you out again and we'll move on. But keep this in mind, ok? If you survive your punishment when you get back to base, do not come after me and mine again, understood? And you tell those fucks that Logan and I are never going back to them. If they think what we did at Alkali Lake was a massacre, they've seen nothing yet." I squatted in front of him and pressed the knife to his throat. "Oh, and before I forget, tell them that we're going to come for them. We will not stop until all of you are very, very dead." I didn't wait for him to react. I pulled the knife across his throat and sliced it open to the bone, then casually wiped it off on his jacket before finding the sheath and putting it away.

I tapped my earpiece to reactivate it and started back towards camp. "Hellcat to base, status."

"Atlas here. Status is good. Totem's a fighter."

"Roger that. Pack up and load the jet. We need to move out of here soon before their ride shows up."

"Why?"

"I didn't leave them much to pick up and I don't want them to know I'm still around. I think I know where we can reacquire the trail about ten miles northwest of here."

"Are you sure?"

"No. But my gut says that's where he's been heading so that's where we'll go. Hellcat out." I couldn't explain it, not really. But before he'd caught wind of Asp and Tigress, that's where he'd been heading. Whatever was up there that meant something to him was still waiting for him and he'd go to it, inexorably. We were getting close to him and I wanted to try and get ahead of him if I could. I was following my heart and I could only hope it would be enough.

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**AN:** There you have it...three chapters down, i don't know how many to go...i'm still in the process of finishing this story...usually i don't start posting til it's already done, but i went on vacation and that slowed me down a bit...but the muse has been cooperative lately, so i don't think it'll be too much longer...Special thanks to my beta readers, Turiel Tincdaniel and Zac...Extra Special thanks to DBK(tm) for always begging for more...:) Super Special thanks to my readers for sticking with me through (already) very long saga...and Extra Swanky Special thanks to my reviewers: sela103, Ineluctability, Miss Lover Girl, reeltreble1031 and joegood2003 (if you haven't read his story, "Picking Up the Pieces", i suggest you go RIGHT NOW!)...your continued support keeps me inspired...:)

**Please review...it only takes a couple seconds and i'll give you a shout out on the next update!**


	4. Interlude and Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **If the character isn't someone who's ever appeared in a Marvel comic and/or X-Men movie, then it's someone who belongs to me...especially Angela, Echo, Totem and Atlas...and more to come later...they get touchy if strangers try to play with them, so i don't suggest you try it...:)

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Interlude

_High above the forest, he crouches on an outcropping of rock, his keen eyes scanning the vista below. Someone has been after him, someone he needs to avoid at all costs. He doesn't know who there are and only one of them has a familiar scent. It's too vague to call up anything from his memory, but his instincts tell him they are dangerous and to keep some distance between them. But their pursuit was relentless, single-minded and he finally took to the low mountains in this area in an attempt to throw them off his trail._

_They almost had him two days ago. They'd been close enough to touch him, had they known where to look. He'd hidden himself in a cave that stank of another animal, its scent covering his own and they'd passed him by, undetected. He'd waited until they passed with an almost preternatural stillness, waited until they took the false trail he'd laid for them before doubling back and making his way to this mountain. He had waited until the sun came and went twice before moving on._

_Now, he crouches on this rock, observing the new group below him. The wind blows their scent away from him, but he can see them just fine even from here. There is the one who flies. The one who is strong. The one who changes. And HER. As he watches her move, he hears things in his head he cannot explain, sees things that he thinks he should remember._

_She's crouched in a tree at night, her glittering eyes watching as the sentry moves away from the door._

_She's lying on a beach listening to the surf, the stars jewel-bright above them._

_She's buried her claws into a man's throat, tearing it out with a feral snarl._

_She's lying still beneath a tree in a rain-soaked jungle, lightning cracking the sky above._

_She's cradled in his arms, blood pouring from her throat as she smiles up at him._

_She brings him a beer and straddles the chair next to his. "On the house", she says._

_She rises above him, moving in rhythm with him, moonlight silvering her hair. "I love you."_

_There are more images, so many that he clutches his head and grits his teeth, trying desperately to drive them away. But they won't go away, they keep coming one right after the other, faster and faster until he throws his head back and howls with frustration. He falls to the ground and curls up into a ball, willing the memories to go away until he doesn't have to feel them anymore. Willing the animal to come back and run away with him so he doesn't have to know what it's like to be a man. Eventually, he succeeds. But not soon enough._

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Chapter 4.

Totem made it through his encounter with Asp, which was a huge relief to all of us, Chasca most of all. We'd been out here a little over two weeks and I was increasingly frustrated with our lack of progress. We'd had Storm fly us to a point that I figured would put us a little ahead of Logan's path in an attempt to head him off. That had been about two days ago, two days after our encounter with Asp and Tigress. Storm had radioed back as she left that a helicopter had come and picked them up, heading to the southwest. Their failure at our hands had been spectacular and I didn't give them very good odds for being sent back out here. I hoped we had at least another five days before they'd send another team to look for Logan. I was willing to bet I'd been added to the search by now, but I could have cared less. Logan was all that mattered to me.

It was late on the second day when I heard it. I'd been scouting to the southeast, looking for any signs of his passing. I knew how tireless he could be, especially if he thought he was being hunted. If my instincts were correct – and they usually are – he should have been within two days of us when we arrived at our new location. I'd sent Chasca to scout the small mountains that were becoming more frequent, but she hadn't seen anything that was of use to us, nothing that indicated Logan was up there. I didn't blame her. If he doesn't want to be seen, he won't be.

We'd all just gathered back in the small clearing we were using as base camp to compare notes for the day. The sun was sinking below the horizon and I could tell that my companions were disheartened by the lack of new evidence. Totem understood why I was following my gut instincts, but Sam and Chasca wanted to hike all the way back to where we lost the original trail and start again from there. My temper was short and I'd just started to get a good rant on when I heard the howl. My head snapped up to the small mountain that was nearby, the peak of which was barely visible above the trees. Tears sprang to my eyes and I said a single word. "Logan!"

"What?" Sam asked, clearly confused. He probably hadn't heard it.

"Totem, did you hear that?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yes, I did." We both scanned what we could see of the mountain from here, but nothing stood out. "I do not see anything."

"You wouldn't, if he doesn't want you to." I chewed on my lip and made a quick decision. "Chasca, fly up there but if you see anything DO NOT APPROACH. Report back what you see and that's all. Try to keep your distance."

"Yes Angela." She said and leapt into the air.

I turned back to the others. "Sam, I want you and Totem to stay here and watch the camp. And call Storm, have her bring the jet." I turned to leave but a hand on my shoulder stopped me.

"Angela, no!" Sam said, almost snapping. "You can't climb up there alone in your condition! It's too dangerous."

"I'll be fine. I've climbed higher and I have my own pitons." I slid my claws out to illustrate. "Let me go! I don't have much time!"

"Leave Totem here. Chasca will be back soon enough and he's as unstoppable as you are. I'll take you up."

I gaped at him for a second, then shook my head. "No, I have to go alone. I can't risk anyone getting hurt."

"He won't hurt me. Let me do this for you."

I sighed in frustration, running my fingers through my hair. "Fine. Let's go. Totem, call Storm."

We took off through the trees towards the base of the mountain. It really wasn't that big, maybe a little more than a thousand feet, but to a flatlander like me, it was huge. I wasn't sure where to start climbing, but I heard another howl that was followed by Chasca on the com. "Echo to Hellcat."

"Hellcat here, what you got?"

"I found something up here. I thought it was just rubble but when I landed…there's claw marks all over. He was just here, he had to be."

"Roger that. We'll see if we can't find him further down." I tapped my earpiece to deactivate it, then Sam and I took off running along the base. About five minutes later, I heard another howl and a few loose rocks came tumbling down. I looked up, then nodded to Sam. "Come on, we'll go up here."

I slid my boots off and stashed them behind some scrubby brush that clung to the base. Sam crouched down and I climbed onto his back, gripping him around the chest and waist with my arms and legs. He grabbed the nearest handhold and we started our ascent. It only took about ten or fifteen minutes for us to get to the first ledge, which was only about eighteen inches wide, but I knew we were on the right track when I saw the three parallel slash marks in the rock in front of me. He'd been the cause of the slight rock fall.

I motioned Sam over to me. "Stay here." I whispered. "I'll keep the com on, but for the love of the gods, do not follow me unless I give you the word."

He nodded and I made my way slowly along the ledge, following the rock face along the mountain. The going was tricky and I lost my footing a couple times, but after about fifteen minutes I came to a place where it widened out into a small plateau. There was a large crack in the rock face that looked big enough to be a cave and I whispered this information over the com. I took another look around before taking a position near the edge of the plateau, crouched on a boulder easily ten feet across and half again as tall as me. I made sure that I was facing the narrow ledge I'd used to get this far, which would hopefully force Logan to put his back to it, on the off chance that I'd need to call Sam in. I spent a few precious seconds calling up my own inner animal, knowing I would need that to relate to whatever came out of that cave. I grabbed a couple smaller rocks and tossed them inside the crack, and waited.

A heartbeat later, Logan came out of the cave in a rush, claws out, crouched low in a classic attack position. I didn't move a muscle, I simply sat and stared at him, watching as he prowled warily back and forth in front of me. The seconds ticked by as we watched one another, my heart beating furiously in my chest. Of all the time I've known him, this was the first time he ever looked like the animal he feared he was. I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was. He'd been living like one for over two weeks, after all. I carefully schooled my expression to keep from showing any of my surprise. I didn't want to spook him any more than was necessary.

He looked terrible. He was clad only in the tattered remains of the pants from his X-suit, his hair was matted with dirt and blood. He wasn't as filthy as I'd expected him to be, but there had been a few streams here and there along his path. If he'd been trying to throw off his other pursuers, he would have instinctively traveled along at least one of them to confuse the trail. His eyes glittered in the dying light, a brighter green than the usual muted hazel I'm used to. They also lacked any semblance of humanity. Logan had surrendered completely to the animal within.

The wind shifted momentarily, blowing my hair into my face and I resisted the urge to brush it aside. However, it must have carried my scent to him because he suddenly ceased all movement. He simply stood there, sniffing the air and looking at me curiously. His claws slid quietly away and he took a tentative step towards me, then another. The wind shifted once more and he stopped again and sniffed. He cocked his head to one side and it was all I could do not to smile at the gesture. With a sudden burst of speed, he closed the distance between us and leapt up on the rock next to me. It took me unawares and I flinched, but managed resist the urge to bolt.

I shifted my position so I was looking at him head on, our faces less than a foot apart. He leaned in a little and sniffed me again, his brow furrowed in confusion. I wanted so badly to reach out and touch him, but I was still afraid to spook him. I let my animal side take further control, that part of me that was trying desperately to get her mate back. I leaned in towards him, closing the distance to just a few inches and stared intently into his eyes. 'Logan', I pleaded silently. 'Please, just recognize me.'

We sat like that for what felt like an eternity, but was probably less than a minute all told. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him raising his hand slowly, bringing it up towards my face. I held my breath, not sure what was going to happen next. With a gentleness I hadn't expected from him in this state, his fingers brushed my cheek. I couldn't help myself, I instinctively leaned into his hand. He jerked it away and scurried back to the edge of the rock, baring his teeth. Damn it, I fucked up.

I took a deep breath and relaxed my stance a little, lowering myself slowly into a kneeling position, never breaking eye contact. I placed my hands on my knees with the palms up; a gesture I hoped would show him that I was not a threat to him. After another very long, very tense moment, he calmed down and approached me once again. He didn't come as close as he had before, but his eyes once again held that curiosity I'd seen before. I knew that somewhere deep inside he recognized me, that his inner animal was trying to tell him who I was. But he'd retreated so far into himself that I was literally trying to coax him back out, treating him the same as any other skittish animal. As long as he kept his claws retracted, I had a chance.

The sun had set almost completely when Sam took it upon himself to disobey orders. Logan and I were still locked in our battle of wills, neither one of us looking away from our staring contest. It would soon be too dark for Sam to attempt to climb back down, but I was not willing to give up this chance to get my lover back. The wind was picking up a bit, bringing the scent of more snow with it and I cursed to myself. The last thing we needed was another snowstorm to delay us. Fortunately, the sound of the wind howling around us had masked the sounds of Sam's approach from even my ears and the only warning I had to his presence on the ledge was a whispered word in my earpiece. "Incoming."

Before I had a chance to react, a boulder about a third the size of the one we were crouched on came speeding out of the gloom. Sam had managed to maneuver himself along the rock face to a position that was roughly parallel to the large boulder and the rock he'd chucked hit Logan on the side of his head and shoulder with enough force to send him tumbling uncontrollably off the boulder and over the edge. I uttered a strangled cry as I watched him fall, his own howl of pain and fury cut off suddenly as he hit the ground at the bottom with an audible thud. I whirled around and leapt off the boulder.

"What the fuck do you call that?" I shouted as I stalked over to Sam. "I was getting through!"

"Listen to me!" He retorted. "Storm called on the way in to tell us there's another big snowstorm on the way. It'll be here within the hour. There was no more time to wait!"

"You had your orders, damn you! He recognized me! I know he did!"

"Fine! But we still have to get off this mountain." He peered over the edge of the precipice. "However, I'm also sure that he'll be out for a long time healing the damage that fall just did to him. So call it your best chance to get him back to that hidey hole of yours, ok?"

I glared at him. "Who said you're allowed to be right?"

"No one. It's just something I do."

I shook my head and sighed. "Come on, let's get down there and see what kind of shape he's in." I walked over to the edge where Logan had fallen and started to climb. I heard Sam protest, but I was already out of his reach by the time his face appeared above me. I just looked up at him with a wink and made my way slowly to the bottom.

Logan was sprawled over another large boulder at the bottom, his face and torso a mess of bloody cuts where he'd bounced off the side of the mountain. I knew how the healing factor worked for him, repairing the really serious internal damage first and leaving anything on the surface for last. By the look of him, he'd be out for at least seven or eight hours. But he was still breathing and although his pulse was a little weak, it was there. I let out a sigh of relief and stroked his forehead tenderly. "Oh, Logan. What happened to you out there?" I whispered, a tear trickling down my cheek. "Can I get you back? I have something to tell you, lover and I want you all here when I say it, ok? Hang in there, I'll bring you back. If it's the last thing I do, I'll bring you back."

I heard the rocks shift behind me and Sam appeared at my side. He looked Logan over and turned away with a low curse. "God Angela. I'm sorry." He said.

"Don't be. You shouldn't have disobeyed your orders but…well, it looks like it was the best decision." He looked back at me with a pained expression and I laid a hand on his arm. "Grab him and get him to base. Storm'll be here soon and we have to be ready to go."

Without another word, he gathered Logan into his arms and made his way carefully back to base camp. I stayed there for a moment, looking around me. It was true night, the moon barely a sliver in the sky and the landscape around me was more shadowed than light. I found it ironic that I would be trying to rebuild my lover even as the moon above me was rebuilding itself and I took it as a sign. With a last look around me, I picked my way over the rocks and went back to the camp to wait for Storm.

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By the time Storm arrived, it had started to snow. Not wanting to waste any more time, we abandoned the tent where it was and packed everything else up. Storm gasped in horror when she saw Logan, but a hard look from me shut her right up and we bundled him onto the jet without comment. Once there, I cleaned up his wounds as well as I could and bandaged them. Anything more than that would have to wait until we were at the cabin.

When I told Storm that's where we were going, she immediately tried to protest. "The Professor told me to bring all of you back to the mansion. Hank says…"

"I don't give a shit what Hank says!" I shouted. "Or Charles for that matter. Logan's dangerous right now. It would be monumentally stupid to take him back to the mansion like this. Trust me, this is the best choice. I'll keep the communicator and check in every couple of days, but this is something that I have to do my way!"

"But Angela, we have the resources at the mansion to help him. The Professor can help telepathically, Hank says we can keep him sequestered in the infirmary for as long as it takes."

I clenched my fists in frustration. "Look, I know you mean well, all of you. But this is something I have to do. I doubt Charles would be able to reach him anyway. He's as far gone as he can get and messing around in his head won't help. Just, trust me ok? You have the coordinates, take us to the cabin."

"Ororo, I think you should listen to her." Sam said quietly. "Let her try it her way first. If she doesn't make any progress in say, three weeks? We'll come get them and do it the Professor's way."

Storm sighed. "All right, fine. I'll do it. But I really don't like it and the Professor won't either."

"I'm not doing this for the Professor." I said. "This is for Logan and for me." And for our child.

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**AN: **Whew! We found him:) We'll be back to my usual format soon enough, so hang in there...:) Special thanks to my beta readers, Zac and Turiel Tincdaniel for their assistance and support...Extra Special thanks to DBK(tm) for no longer humping my leg like a rabid terrier for more chapters...Super Special thanks to my readers for sticking with me this far...and Super Swanky Special thanks to those who reviewed, which for Chapter 3 were reeltreble1031, Miss Lover Girl and Ineluctability (if you haven't caught her stories, "Deviant Strain" and "Anomalous Vessel" yet, go read them NOW...they're excellent!)...also to joegood2003, who's just now getting around to reading this part of the saga (if you haven't caught HIS story, "Picking Up the Pieces" yet, then you need to read that one too!)

**Now please click the little button that says "go" next to where it says "submit review" and you'll get a shout out too!**


	5. Interlude and Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **You should know the drill by now...

**Note:** My apologies to my readers...this chapter would have been up early this morning, but FFN wouldn't let me in for some reason and i needed to get some sleep...yay third shift job:) But, better late than never, right?

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Interlude

_Calm. Dark. Quiet. He's floating alone in a black nothingness, disconnected. He vaguely remembers something hitting him, falling, pain, then this, the black nothingness. He feels safe here, safer than he's felt for a very long time. But somehow, that isn't right either. He felt safe before and there was a lot more than the black nothingness._

_He tries to remember, tries to see what there was before this, but there's nothing. He lifts his hand, reaching out to see if there's something hiding in the black nothingness and he's surprised when a pinprick of light forms in the distance. Curious, he moves towards it, floating along by the force of his will alone. The light gets brighter, becomes a star, becomes the sun. He shields his eyes with his hand, blinded by the glare of the sun he's created. When he drops his hand again, he's in another place._

_He's standing in a dimly lit room, the only light coming from a fire crackling cheerfully in the fireplace. As he walks further in, old-fashioned oil lamps and gaslights spring to life, cleverly placed to illuminate specific things scattered about the room. At first, nothing is in clear focus, just vague shapes and outlines that he struggles to make sense of. As he approaches a figure in a far corner, the shape asserts itself, filling in the blank areas until he can see it for what it is. Situated upon a pedestal made from a section of tree trunk is a wolverine, stuffed and mounted, its mouth open in a feral snarl, its claws shining silver in the light. He furrows his brow in confusion, turning away from it only to be confronted by a pack of similarly stuffed wolves, their heads turned as though looking to him. He backs away from the pack, turning as though to leave, but he stops short when his eyes fall upon the stuffed head of a deer, a magnificent fifteen point buck, a spear protruding from its neck._

_With an almost physical sensation, something snaps into place in his mind as he realizes these animals all remind him of something. He approaches the wolverine again, warily stretching his hand out to touch one of the gleaming claws. When his fingers make contact, he sees himself as a boy, running and playing with another boy and a girl about his own age. Once that springs free, the rest of that time falls into place and he realizes where he is._

_'Holy shit, this is my memory.' He thinks to himself, gazing in wonder at the animals around him. 'This is my earliest memory, of my home and Rose and Dog. And Dog's father, Thomas Logan. He was in love with my mother. Was she in love with him too? Is he really my father?' These early memories come one after another but instead of driving him away, they draw him closer to himself, closer to human. He remembers it all._

_As this trophy room takes more form, subtle changes begin. The fireplace remains the same, but the lights change from gaslights to electric, the décor from Victorian to a more modern look. He catches things out of the corner of his eye, but when he tries to look at them directly they fade from view. Curious, he approaches the fireplace and notices a pair of swords on a stand sitting on the mantle. He reaches out to touch them and he realizes they are a katana and wakazashi, the traditional blades of the samurai. 'I was a samurai, long ago. My sensei was Master Ogun and he taught me honor and discipline. He's the first one who taught me how to control the animal.'_

_On and on, one memory at a time, his life comes back to him. A rifle from World War I here, a different one from the Second World War over there, guns from Korea and Vietnam. 'So many weapons. How many people have I actually killed? Is there any way to know? Have I always been just a killer?' He looks down at his hands, then back to the wolverine snarling silently in the corner. 'Now I am the weapon. I can't escape what I am anymore.'_

_He hears the sound of a door closing in the distance, followed by voices too far away to make out the words. A few moments later, he hears the door open and close again. He cautiously approaches the door to the study, presses his ear against it to hear whatever there might be to hear. He hears the sounds of someone moving about, a kettle whistling to say that it's done, a woman's voice. 'I know that voice. She's someone important to me.' He backs away from the door slowly, turning again to face this room and the memories it holds. The flickering light of the fire reflects off something on a table in the corner, something that hadn't been there before. As he approaches, the items begin to manifest themselves fully, finally taking shape as a wine bottle, a little stone cat and a necklace. He picks up the necklace and he sees that it's a metal tag on a simple ball chain. The tag is imprinted with a series of numbers and a single word, "Hellcat". He grips it so tight that blood begins to run between his fingers. 'Hellcat, that's who the voice belongs to. But that's not her real name, like Wolverine isn't mine. She saved me, saved us both. And she loves me.'_

_He looks back down at the table, but as other things begin to come into being, the door flies open behind him and everything in the room begins to unravel. He cries out in protest even as he's drawn inextricably through the portal, watching helplessly as his memory begins to fade again. But the door does not close as he expected it to. Instead, it swings halfway, remaining open just enough for the inviting light of the fire to shine in the black nothingness. He smiles, knowing this means he can go back there any time he wants and it will all be waiting for him. He peers over his shoulder to see where he's going, but there's nothing there. He feels the pain of healing flesh in his palm and wonders what happened to him. He opens his clenched fist and the tag, Hellcat's tag, is still within his grasp. 'Hellcat. I'm comin' back to you darlin'.'_

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chapter 5.

It only took about two hours to get to the cabin and get Logan safely inside. I made the offer to Sam, Chasca and Totem to use the shower in there, but they politely refused, saying they wanted to get ahead of the storm before it got any worse. Still, I took my time saying goodbye to everyone. We'd had a rough couple of weeks, but they'd handled the hardship admirably and I would miss them. They'd each come to represent something for me and I would have never been able to find Logan without them. Sam had, appropriately, been my strength, Chasca my spirit and Totem my balance. I would find a way to repay them for this someday.

I stood outside and watched the jet disappear into the night. When I could no longer hear it, I stepped back inside the cabin. I had a lot of work to do before Logan woke up, the first order being getting him bathed. I'd had Sam put him in the larger bedroom, the one we'd slept in all those years ago after Alkali Lake. It was my hope that it would provide a bit of familiarity for him when he woke, something he'd recognize and hopefully keep him calm. I carefully removed what remained of his clothing and tossed it in a trash bag. I filled a kettle with hot water from the bathroom and brought it into the bedroom along with a basin, soap and fresh clothes. It took me well over ninety minutes and three more kettles to get him clean from head to toe and another half an hour to get the clothes on him, but I managed. I was exhausted to the point of dropping by then, but it was still cold in the cabin, so I took the time to start a fire. I sat there for a long time, staring into the flames and crying in relief. I had Logan back physically and that made me happier than I'll ever be able to say. The hard part would be getting back his mind. My eyelids began to droop after a while and I was sorely tempted to sleep right there, curled up in front of the fire. But I'd waited too long to sleep next to my lover and I wasn't about to wait one more minute. I dragged myself off the floor and into the bedroom, snuggling into him. I was asleep almost immediately.

I was awakened four hours later when he sat straight up in the bed with a shout, popping his claws. I tumbled off the other side of the bed and came up in a defensive crouch. His eyes were still wild, his mouth still curled into that feral snarl, so I didn't make any move to approach. He whipped his head from side to side before rolling off the bed, putting it between us. His eyes narrowed when he saw me and he growled low in his throat. I took a deep breath and relaxed my pose until I was simply standing there. It was now or never.

"Logan, do you know who you are?" I asked. He furrowed his brow and tilted his head to one side. I smiled a little at the gesture. "You're ok now, we found you." He relaxed a little bit, but his claws were still out so I held my ground. "Now you're with me, just the two of us. I'm going to help you come back to me." His claws retracted slowly and he relaxed further. "Good, that's good, you put those away. Now, do you understand me at all? Anything I'm saying?" He tilted his head again and looked at me closely. I just stood there, keeping my gaze locked with his. "I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to help you. Do you understand?"

He moved so fast I didn't even have time to yelp. He scurried over the bed until he was looming over me, his hands gripping my upper arms so tight they left bruises. I bit back a cry and kept staring into his eyes, willing him to remember something. He lowered his face to my hair and inhaled deeply. I didn't move a muscle, hoping against hope that the same thing would happen here that had happened back in the woods of Pennsylvania. It didn't happen _quite_ that way, but I wasn't completely disappointed. "I know you." He rasped, his voice rusty from disuse.

"Yes, you do." I whispered, trembling a little. He pulled away to look at me but he didn't let me go. "You know me very well."

"You're Hellcat. My partner."

"Yes, that's right. But my real name is Angela."

"But you don't smell right." He gripped my arms tighter and I winced. "You look like her, but you smell different."

"Yeah well, we'll get to that later." I said, my voice tight with pain. "For now, can you let me go? You're hurting me."

"Good." He snarled. "What are you? Some kinda shapeshifter?"

"NO!" I cried. "I'm not. I'm Hellcat, I swear. Ask me anything."

"Fine. What was our first mission together?"

"I had to infiltrate a military contractor's office and steal some files. You were the driver and my backup in case anything went wrong. As I was leaving, I got shot and you killed all three of the guys who were chasing me. On the way to the extraction point, I dug the bullet out of my shoulder myself because they didn't like to waste valuable medical resources on someone who would heal anyway." I chuckled bitterly. "You seemed pretty shocked by the concept."

He let me go and sat heavily on the bed, holding his head. "What's goin' on, 'Cat? I'm so confused. I feel like I've been out for days."

"Well, you kind of have been. More than you know." I sat down next to him. "I need you to think really hard, ok? What's the last thing you remember?"

"I…we were at the base and Stryker said he had somethin' planned for me. Then…pain, like nothin' I've ever felt before. There was a fight…oh my God, did we kill all those people?"

I nodded. "Yeah, we did. And we got away and I found this place for us to hide." I turned to him and put my hand on his arm. "But I need you to think harder, ok? Because all of that happened a lot longer ago than you think."

"What are you talkin' about? 'Cat, did somethin' happen to me?"

I sighed. "Yeah, kind of. Look, it's been a rough day for both of us. Are you hungry?" He nodded and I stood up, holding out my hand. "Come on, let's get something to eat. We'll talk some more."

He looked at my outstretched hand curiously before taking it and standing up. "There's somethin' you're not tellin' me."

"Sweetheart, there's a lot I'm not telling you. But it's waited this long, it can wait a little longer. Come on, I'm starving."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The downside to the cabin was a lack of things like fresh meat. Still, I managed to put together a decent meal for us, which we ate sitting in front of the fire. For all that I'd said we would talk, we remained silent, just staring into the fire. It was so much like those first few days after Alkali Lake and I was afraid to push him too far too soon. The last thing I needed was for him to disappear into the wilderness up here. After we were done, I put the dishes away and went to the wine cellar. I stayed down there for a bit longer than was absolutely necessary, crying. He was so close to me, but his mind had taken him to the last time we were here. I had over fifteen years to get through and only three weeks to do it. It seemed like such a daunting task and I wasn't sure if I could pull it off. But I had to try, I loved him too much not to.

I heard him moving around upstairs, so I grabbed a bottle of red and pulled myself together. Of course, I should have known it wouldn't be enough. I uncorked the bottle and sat back down next to him. A heartbeat later, he turned to me. "Uh, 'Cat? Have you been cryin'?"

"What?" I asked, startled. "Um, no why?"

He took the wine bottle away from me and set it aside. "Look, I can smell it. And I can smell that you're lyin'. So, why were you cryin'?"

"It's a long story and you're not ready to hear it, ok?" I grabbed the wine bottle and took a long drink, ignoring the mental image of Hank scowling at me. One drink wouldn't hurt anything.

"Why don't you let me be the judge of that, ok?" He took the wine away again and tipped the bottle back for a long drink. "Whoa, that's good stuff."

"Yeah, it is. Nothing but the best for me."

"Still doesn't explain why you been cryin'. Come on, we've been partners for how long? I've never seen you cry."

"And you still haven't." Not today, I added to myself. "I guess…it's been a long couple of weeks and with all that snow out there, got a touch of cabin fever."

"That's not such a long story. Seems pretty simple to me."

"Yeah, I guess so. I'm also worried about Stryker's people finding us, you know?" Which was true. He just didn't know that I meant Asp and Tigress, not the goons that had been based at Alkali Lake.

"Yeah. I can't fuckin' believe the shit they put us through!"

"Believe it, because it's true. Have you seen your claws lately?"

"My claws?" He held up his hand and popped them out, then jumped back at what he saw. "What the fuck! Why'd they do this?"

"To make you a better killer, not that you needed the help."

He retracted his claws slowly, then took another long drink. "Jesus, they made me into some kinda monster."

"No! You're not a monster trust me on that one. You're the best thing that ever happened to me."

"How can you say that? Didn't I just kill you not that long ago?"

I shrugged. "I came back. I always come back."

"Yeah and I took advantage of that too, like some kinda animal."

"I thought I told you that I didn't mind? That it was ok, that I wanted it too?" I shifted myself so I was sitting in front of him. "Let me show you."

I took his head in my hands and kissed him softly. After a few moments, his arms slid around me and he lifted me up, carrying me to the bedroom. It wasn't an exact repeat of the first time we'd made love in this cabin, but that was all right with me. Just having him here with me, inside me, it was the sweetest thing I'd ever felt and it took all of my will to hold back new tears. He fell asleep before I did and I just watched him for a while, stroking his hair and falling in love with him all over again. He was back here with me and even though his mind had him in a different time, I knew this place was the right place to bring him back. I knew I could do it.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I let it go for a few days, figuring that his mind would work things out on its own. I wasn't wrong, but mostly he was remembering stuff from before Alkali Lake. In fact, he even remembered some details from his childhood for the first time since I've known him. Had he stopped to think about it, he would realize that the memories he was having now were in direct conflict with the last time we were here, where he kept forgetting things about his past. Naturally, I never mentioned it. He still didn't remember his real name, but he seemed ok with that, saying that he'd been Logan for so long that anything else wouldn't feel right.

It was the morning of the fourth day that he remembered something about us. I was lounging in the armchair, reading a book with the chips on the floor as usual and he'd gone out for more firewood. He came back in much sooner than I expected and when I looked up, he had a haunted look in his eyes. "Logan? What's wrong?" I put my book down and stood up. "Logan?"

"Angela, is there somethin' wrong with me? Somethin' you ain't tellin' me?"

I bit my lip and looked down. "Uh, why do you ask?"

"I just had a memory of me an' you sittin' by a waterfall all cuddled up. But we've never done that, have we?"

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. "Come here, sit down." I said and led him to the couch. He shrugged out of his jacket and I tossed it aside before sitting next to him. "Logan, I know you think we've only been away from Alkali Lake for a couple weeks, but that's not actually true."

"The hell you talkin' about? How long has it been? How long have we been here?"

"We've only been here for four days. We've been away from Alkali Lake for over fifteen years." He listened in shock as I recounted what had happened immediately after Alkali Lake up to when we parted ways a few months later. "After that, I don't really know what happened to you because I wasn't there. I know you wandered quite a bit, worked the cage fighting circuit for a while. I wound up back in the States, wandered around until seven years ago when I settled in Detroit."

"But how could I forget about all that? Did they fuck with my head or somethin' too?"

"Yeah, they did. But that's not why you forgot so much. It's complicated. I don't know if I should tell you any more right now, I don't know if you're ready."

"Ready for what? Angela, I have a right to know damn it!"

"I know, Logan. And I swear, I'll tell you everything. But it seems like your memory is coming back on its own and it would be better if we let it happen that way as much as we can, ok? Please, just trust me on this."

"It's just so frustratin', you know? I can remember back to another goddamn century, but I can't remember the last fifteen years?"

"Believe me, this is an improvement. A few months ago, you couldn't remember anything beyond fifteen years ago."

His eyes widened. "You can't be serious."

"Absolutely serious. Your mind is finally healing after all this time. So we'll just let it do it in its own time, ok? I don't want to push it."

"All right." He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me close. "An' you know I trust you, with my life."

"Yeah, me too. Don't worry, we'll bring you up to speed before you know it."

We sat there watching the fire until we both dozed off. I don't know how long we slept there, but he eventually woke up and I vaguely remember him carrying me into the bedroom. After getting the both of us tucked in, he just held me and I fell back to sleep with the sound of his heart beating as my lullaby.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The next week and half passed in much the same way. He remembered more things about the years after Alkali Lake and I checked in with Hank and the Professor on our progress. Snowstorms continued to plague us and there were few days where it was clear enough to go outside for even a few minute here and there. Hank asked me how I was feeling and I had to couch my answers in terms that wouldn't give my pregnancy away. I wanted to tell Logan so badly, but I wasn't sure he was ready for it.

It was early in the third week that I couldn't hold out on him any longer. By my calculations, I was about six weeks along and it had finally occurred to Logan that I wasn't smoking or drinking like I normally would. For some reason, the smell of his cigars didn't bother me at all but cigarette smoke was enough to send me running to the bathroom. Fortunately, that was the only thing (so far). At any rate, he finally confronted me with it when I turned him down to join him for a drink after dinner that night.

"Angela, you haven't had anythin' since our first night here an' I know you better than that." He said when I waved the bottle away. "What aren't you tellin' me?"

"Quite a lot, actually." I replied, rubbing my forehead. "I'm not sure if you can handle it just yet."

"Why don't you let me be the judge of that, all right?"

"It's not that simple. There's so much about us that you haven't remembered and I'm afraid to trigger more than you can handle without…you know."

"Goin' crazy again?" I nodded and he scowled at me. "Look, I'm past that, ok? An' who knows? Maybe whatever it is will bring more stuff back."

I couldn't dispute that logic, not really. I sighed and brought my knees up, resting my chin on them as I stared into the fire. "Remember when you first woke up, you said I smelled like me only different?" He nodded. "Well, I know that you can smell all kinds of stuff no one else can, like if people are sick or whatever."

"Is that it?" He asked, concern coloring his voice. "You got somethin' wrong with you an' your healin' factor ain't good enough to handle it?"

"No, nothing like that. At least, I hope you won't think of it that way." I took a deep breath and looked him steadily in the eye. "Logan, I'm pregnant."

His eyes widened in shock. "You're…when? Since we've been here?"

"No. If my math is right, about six weeks ago."

His shocked expression changed to a scowl. "Six weeks. So whose is it then?"

"I know what you're thinking…"

"No, I don't think you do. I have no idea how long we've been apart. Last thing I knew, I left you on a road over fifteen years ago."

"Yeah, that's what I thought you were thinking, actually." I took another deep breath. "Lover, it's yours."

I wasn't sure what to expect, so I held my breath as I watched him closely. At first, his eyes went completely blank, no expression on his face at all. He sat there like that for a long time and waving my hand in front of his face didn't affect him in the slightest. I felt tears burning in my eyes, I was afraid that I'd broken him all over again, only this time he'd retreated completely inward and become catatonic. I held the tears back and moved from the floor by the fire to the sofa, curling up and waiting to see what would happen next.

I must have dozed off because I was suddenly awakened by a shout. I sprang to my feet, claws out and looked around. I relaxed when I realized we were still alone, but Logan was prowling back and forth, hands clutching his hair and growling. I didn't move again, not wanting to startle him, but I did keep a very close eye on him. In a matter of minutes, his rage gave way to something that's almost worse: frustration. He was mumbling under his breath too softly for even me to hear, but I was sure he was simply working through this new set of memories that had been dumped on him.

After about fifteen minutes, his head snapped up and he looked at me without seeing me and said the first word since before I told him about the baby. "Jean." He said in a strangled voice and he fell to his knees in front of the fire. "Oh God, Jean!"

I still didn't move, but fresh tears burned in my eyes as I watched him grieve for the other woman he'd cared deeply about. I still couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy towards her. She'd been in his heart and irrational though it was, I couldn't help it. Deep down inside, I was glad that I had never met her, that I would never meet her, because to me she'd always be the "other woman". Still, watching him grieve for her hurt me because it hurt him and that was more than I could bear at the moment.

He quieted after a while, becoming very still but not like the near-catatonia from before. It was plain to see that he was still working things through, but on a more consciously internal level. I sat back down on the couch, curled up into the corner and waited. I must have dozed off yet again because the next time I opened my eyes he was kneeling in front of me, just watching me sleep. "Darlin', I'm so sorry." He said softly, his eyes full of sorrow.

"What?" I asked, confused from sleep. "You didn't do anything to be sorry for."

"Yeah, I did. I forgot you all over again. How could I do that when I love you so much?"

"Lover, there were circumstances. It's complicated. What did you remember?"

He recounted everything that had come back to him, which encompassed much of the past year up to the night before we retrieved Scott, the night I'd conceived this child. I laid my hand softly against his cheek and he turned his face and kissed my palm. "That's why I'm sorry, because I can't believe that anythin' could ever make me forget all of that, 'specially you."

"Hey, the important part is that you remember NOW." I said. He smiled a little and joined me on the couch. I snuggled up to him as he wrapped his arm around me. "Like I said, it's complicated. There are other things you need to know, but I think I'll save that for when we're back at the mansion, ok?"

"Sure, darlin'." He pulled me into his lap and kissed me soundly. "So, we're havin' a baby?"

"What's this 'we' crap, buster? I'm the one that has to do all the work."

He laughed even as he kissed me again. "Angela, there's nothin' on this planet that could possibly make me happier than knowin' that you're havin' my baby."

I smiled at him and wrapped my arms around his neck. "I know. And I've wanted to tell you since we got here, but I was afraid you weren't ready for it. I was afraid it would bring back too much too fast and you'd go all feral on me again. I just couldn't chance it."

"I understand, darlin'. You had to keep yourself safe first, so you could keep our baby safe." I nodded and he sighed. "I'm so sorry you went through all of this. I don't know why it happened but I swear I'll do whatever I can to make sure it never happens again."

I sniffled, not bothering to hold back my tears, which were happy ones for a change. "I'm just so glad to have you back. I missed you so much!"

"I know, darlin'." He cradled me in his arms and carried me back to the bedroom. He put me down gently and stretched out next to me. We took our time, going as slowly as we could stand. Every touch was electric, every kiss conveying emotions we didn't have words for. Hours later, we collapsed into each other's arms, complete for the first time in over a month. I knew he still had to come to terms with what had happened after we got Scott back, but I didn't worry about that. I had Logan back and that was all that mattered to me.

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**AN:** Well, there it is...Logan's getting his memory back a bit at a time...i'll deal with more of that throughout this story...but it's a very long life he's had, so i probably won't get through all of it in one story...:) Next chap is Logan's POV, which i know some of you have been waiting for...:) Special thanks to Zac and Turiel Tincdaniel, the best beta readers ever...:) Extra Special thanks to DBK(tm) for thinking that my story rocks, even when i have doubts...Super Special thanks to my readers, since it's you guys who make me think i'm not the only one having fun here...and Super Special Swanky thanks to those who reviewed, which for Ch. 4 were reeltreble1031, Miss Lover Girl and Ineluctability...Also, rhiannonUK, who FINALLY got around to reading this story! Reviews are living proof that i'm not the only one having fun...:)

**So review already! It makes me feel warm and fuzzy and i'll give you a shout out at the end of the next chapter:)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **Yadda yadda yadda...you know what's what, i'm sure...

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Chapter 6.

(Logan)

Angela fell asleep before I did. It didn't surprise me, not at all. From what she'd been telling me, she'd been through a hell of an ordeal and it was mostly my fault. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't call up the memory of what pushed me over the edge in the first place. I had strong sense that it was something extreme, but the actual event stayed just out of my reach. As for the time I'd been completely out of my head, I had nothing. I couldn't recall a single thing from the night before we got One-Eye back until I woke up in the cabin. On the plus side, Angela said I hadn't killed any people while I was feral, so that was a relief.

I rolled over and slid my arm around her, my hand resting lightly on her belly. I smiled when I thought of what was happening in there right now, the little Hellcat or Wolverine that was just getting started. I should have been pissed off that she'd come after me in this condition, knowing what the risks were and taking them anyway. But if I know my woman, she'd taken as much care as she could to keep herself out of harm's way. On the other hand, trouble seemed to follow the both of us, so harm probably found her anyway. But, she was here and the baby was ok, so whatever it had been, it hadn't been enough to stop her. She still hadn't told me everything that had happened after I went feral. I only knew the basics, that she'd come up here with Sam, Chasca and Kyro to find me, that they'd encountered some resistance but nothing they couldn't handle. I knew there was plenty she was leaving out, but she insisted that was for "later". She usually reserved that for stuff she knew I wasn't going to like. With our history, I was sure I wasn't going to like it a lot.

I don't know how long it was before I finally fell asleep, but when I opened my eyes again it was morning and Angela wasn't in the bed with me. My nose told me she was making breakfast and the smell of coffee was too good to ignore. After a bit of searching, I retrieved my boxers from the tangled blankets and slipped them on before walking out to the kitchen. She turned to me with a smile and a mug of coffee in her outstretched hand. I took it gratefully and sat down at the tiny table. "Mornin' tiger." I said, taking a sip. "How you feelin'?"

She rolled her eyes and took the chair across from me, a mug of tea already sitting there. "I swear, if you're going to be one of those daddies that asks that every five minutes, I'm going to kill you." I stared at her as she toyed with her mug. "I feel fine, all right? Gods above, it isn't like I've never been pregnant before."

"Yeah, but you've never been pregnant with MY baby. So you're just gonna have to put up with it."

"Keep my feet from dancing." She said dryly. "I guess I'll have to get a bunch of maternity tops made that say things like 'I'm fine, so don't ask' and 'Touch my stomach and die'."

"I hope that last one don't apply to me."

"No, you get a free pass. But I know how women get around pregnant women and I'd really hate to permanently injure someone."

I chuckled. "I can see where that'd put a damper on things. Tell you what, I promise to try an' only ask how you're doin' once a day, deal?"

"I suppose." She finished off her tea. "Man, this whole no caffeine thing sucks."

"An' no smokin' an' no booze, too, don't forget that."

"Asshole." She smiled and took her mug to the sink, giving it a quick wash. "Well, I've already called Storm and told her to come get us, so let's get this place back in order."

"How long til she gets here?"

"I told her to come about noon, so three hours or so."

I stood and gathered her into my arms. "Order can wait."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As it turned out, we didn't have time to leave the place cleaner than we found it, but it didn't look like a tornado had gone through it so we considered it a success. We heard the jet long before we saw it and I took a last look around the cabin. Twice now this place had saved me, thanks to Angela. In a lot of ways, the cabin is more of a home than the mansion will ever be. It had been the site of my rebirth two times and I was going to miss it.

The jet finally set down in a clearing a couple hundred yards from the cabin and I took Angela's hand as we left. Sam and Storm were both standing at the bottom of the ramp and as soon as she saw me, Storm broke into a run and threw her arms around my neck. "Logan! Jesus it's good to see you!"

I returned the hug a little awkwardly. "Thanks Storm. Sorry to cause so much trouble."

"As long as you're all right now. That's all that matters." She smiled then walked over and hugged Angela. "Everything go ok up here?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Angela replied. "Let's get this stuff on the jet, we'll talk more in there."

The two of them picked up our bags and vanished inside, leaving me in the clearing with Sam. "So, I heard you insisted on comin' with her to find me. Thank you, I owe you one."

"Don't mention it." He replied coolly. "Come on, let's get back to the school."

He turned to board the jet, but I reached out to stop him. "Hey, what's the deal? We cool?"

He turned back to me and crossed his arms. "Well, that depends on you, doesn't it?"

"The hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Listen, I know what it's like not being able to control your mutation. I hid from the world for a very long time because of it, too ashamed of my own strength to face people. But I never hurt anyone I cared about because of it."

"Whoa, what're you talkin' about? Angela told me I didn't hurt anyone."

"You didn't KILL anyone, that's true. But you hurt her more than you'll ever know. I understand that it wasn't your fault, there were…circumstances that pushed you over the edge. What I don't understand is how any part of you could forget that she's your mate and leave her like that."

"Look, I still don't remember what happened out there. What ain't she tellin' me?"

"Plenty, but you're not getting it out of me." He gave me a hard look, then turned and boarded the jet. I waited a minute before following him, suddenly less than eager to return to the mansion. Something happened out there that I really wasn't going to like, I could feel it. Sam's cool reception told me a lot more about it than anything Angela had told me and I started to wonder if I shouldn't stay up here a little longer. Before I could act on that impulse, Storm called down from the jet that it was time to go and I reluctantly boarded the jet. Angela was in her usual seat as far from the front as she could get and I settled into the seat next to her. She smiled at me as I strapped myself in and my doubts melted away. I managed a weak smile in return, sliding my arm around her shoulders and kissing the top of her head. She snuggled close and held her breath as Storm lifted off with practiced ease.

We arrived back at the mansion just under two hours later. The hangar doors slid open as we climbed down the ramp and Xavier came gliding in followed by Chasca and Kyro, all of them smiling. "Logan, welcome back." The Professor said. "You've been missed."

"Yeah, thanks." I replied, looking around and noticing for the first time that someone was missing. "Where's Rogue?"

"Logan, if you'll come with me to my office…"

"Screw that, Chuck. Where is she?"

"Don't worry Charles." Angela said, coming up beside me. "I'll handle this." She stared at him for a long moment and I knew they were talking about something. Finally, he nodded and she took my arm. "Come on, lover. There's something I need to tell you."

She led me out of the hangar and into the hallway beyond, but instead of turning towards the elevator she went towards the infirmary. As we approached, the doors slid open and I stopped dead when I saw who came out. He was just under six feet tall and powerfully built, but the part that stopped me in my tracks was the blue fur that covered him from head to toe. He was also wearing a white lab coat that could have served as a tent for several midgets, a small pair of wire-rimmed glasses perched on the end of his nose. He smiled at us and held out his hand. "Ah, you must be Logan. Dr. Hank McCoy." I looked at his hand before shaking it. He smiled again then turned to Angela. "And you, my dear. How are you feeling?"

She rolled her eyes and I stifled a laugh. "I'm fine, Blue. I'll let you poke and prod later. We're here about Rogue."

"Yes, Charles informed me of your arrival. I've been waiting for you."

"Wait, whattaya mean we're HERE about Rogue?" I said, scowling at both of them. "What happened to her?"

"Logan, please." Angela said quietly. "Just listen to me…"

"Fuck that. What happened?" The two of them looked at each other but said nothing. I tried to push past the doctor, but he pushed me back easily. "Get your hand off me, furball." I growled.

"Logan, I must insist that you wait until we explain a few things." He said mildly. "I've been told there are things you don't remember about your…disappearance."

"And I said get your hand off me, bub, before I take it off." I could feel my feral side coming back out and it must have showed on my face because he lowered his hand slowly. "Now get out of my way."

"Logan, please, there's something you need to know!" Angela shouted, but I pushed past both of them into the infirmary. My senses were assaulted with the sounds of machines whirring and beeping, the smell of disinfectant and the unmistakable scent of Rogue. I stalked towards the back where long-term patients are usually kept, vaguely aware of Angela's presence behind me. I rounded the corner and was once again stopped in my tracks. Rogue was lying there on a table, IV's sticking out of her arms and an oxygen tube in her nose. A machine beeped steadily behind her, but she didn't appear to even be alive. Angela finally caught up to me and that's when the memory hit me.

I fell to my knees, clutching my head and snarling. I could feel the rain pelting me again, see the lightning flashing and illuminating Rogue as she lay dead on the ground. I remembered taking off my gloves and trying to bring her back like I did at Liberty Island, but nothing happened. I begged, pleaded with her to come back but nothing worked. Rogue was truly dead and even _I_ couldn't bring her back. I'd promised I'd take care of her and in the end, I failed her. As then, I threw my head back and screamed my rage.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and I sprang to my feet, popping my claws. Angela was there and she immediately fell back into a defensive crouch, the furball just behind her. "Logan, you have to stop and listen to me!" She yelled.

"What the fuck is she doin' in here?" I shouted back, pointing my claws to where she lay. "Hooked up to all this shit? What did you to do to her?"

"We didn't do anything, Logan." The doctor said. "She was brought back here after that night and…"

"She DIED! Why the hell ain't she buried?"

"SHE'S NOT DEAD!" Angela screamed as she sprang forward. "She's alive, Logan."

Even a mutant with my abilities can only take so many shocks at one time. I felt myself go pale for the first time in living memory and my claws slid slowly back into my arms. I clenched my eyes shut and fell heavily to my knees, breathing hard as I tried to beat back the animal. "What do you mean, Angela? She died, I held her in my arms and tried everythin' to bring her back and it didn't work. She died."

"I know, lover. But Josh, he brought her back."

My head snapped up and I glared at her. "How the hell did he do that?"

"Well, we knew he could probably heal just about anything. Hell, even he didn't know if it would help, but he said he had to try, so he did. And it worked."

I stood up, my legs shaking a little and took a step towards the table where Rogue lay. Sure enough, she was breathing on her own and once I filtered out the background noise, I could hear her heartbeat. Angela came up beside me and I looked down at her. "Why isn't she awake?"

"We don't know." Dr. McCoy said, coming up on my other side. "I've done a CT scan and Charles has looked inside her mind. Her higher brain functions were unaffected, but she remains in a persistent coma. My best guess is that she doesn't really realize that she isn't dead."

"What about the Professor? Hasn't he tried to reach her?"

"Yes, he has, but he's been unsuccessful so far in making contact." He went over to the machine behind her, checked a few readings and made notes on a clipboard that was sitting on a small table. "Again, I have never encountered a situation like this, so I am unable to give you a satisfactory answer at this time. Angela visited her every day before she left to find you, talked to her and yet the coma persists."

"I keep trying to tell everyone that if anyone can bring her back, it's you." Angela said, placing her hand lightly in mine. "You are her sworn protector, after all."

"What happened to her in the first place?" I asked.

"Josh said that there was significant damage in her frontal lobe and from what he described, it was consistent with a sudden hemorrhage, most likely an aneurysm." The doctor replied. "Had you been right there when it happened, it's unlikely you would have been able to help her."

"But I brought her back at Liberty Island. I would swear on anythin' that she was dead then too."

"She was probably very close, but you managed to catch her in the nick of time. But something like this, it comes on very suddenly with little or no warning. She may have felt a little dizziness, but it's unlikely she felt any pain."

I nodded, not knowing what to say. There was a chair next to the table and I turned back to Angela. "Do you mind, darlin'?" I asked, nodding to it.

"No, it's fine." She replied quietly. "You do what you have to do. I have to let the doc here give me a once-over before he'll let me leave anyway." I leaned down and kissed her, then watched as she went off with the doctor. Once they were out of sight, I sat down next to Rogue.

The first thing that I noticed was that she didn't have gloves on. It was the first time since the day she stowed away in my truck that I'd actually seen her hands and I couldn't help but notice how graceful they were. I was also surprised to see that her nails were painted bright pink, which I found odd for her to do when no one ever sees her hands anyway. I just smiled and brushed it off as a girl thing. After a few minutes, I took a deep breath and started talking to her.

"Hey Marie, I'm home." I whispered. "I'm sorry I didn't take better care of you, like I promised. An' I'm sorry I wasn't here when they brought you back. But seein' you like that, it pushed me over the edge. See, it reminded me of somethin', someone else from a long time ago, 'cept it was my fault she died. And I couldn't help but thinkin' the same thing about you, that you'd have been all right if I'd just been there. Next thing I know, all this other stuff came crashin' in on me an' I started rememberin' just about everythin' I ever forgot. I guess it was too much an' it was just easier to let the other side of me take over for a while." I looked at her closely, but nothing had changed so I continued. "Anyway, Angela went out to find me. Sam, Chasca an' Kyro helped her out. I shoulda known somethin' was wrong when she didn't mention that you were part of the team. I know you'd go to hell an' back for me, cuz that's what family does. An' well, since that's what we are, you know what I gotta do now, right darlin'? So don't get mad at me for it later."

I looked over my shoulder, but Angela was still busy with the doc. I turned back to Rogue and took a deep breath before slipping my hand into hers. As usual, there was a heartbeat before her ability kicked in and I felt the life draining out of me and into her. I didn't take my eyes off her face, I kept my eyes locked on her as I willed her to wake up. Moments later, I felt her hand twitch and I watched as her eyes flew open. She gasped my name and jerked her hand away as blackness overtook me and I slid to the floor.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_Calm. Dark. Quiet. He finds himself again in the black nothingness, but this time he knows there's somewhere he can go. He look about himself until he spies the sliver of light that's coming from behind the door of the trophy room that is his memory. He moves towards it quickly, praying that he'll get more time in here this time. The door opens in as he approaches and he finds himself once again surrounded by the remnants of his life. He stands in the middle of the room and looks about as the things he saw before snap into crystal clear focus, even as other things that had been vague shapes begin to form._

_A wheelchair sits in the corner, a physics text sitting on the seat._

_A white lab coat is draped over the back of an armchair, the name "Jean Grey" stitched on the left side._

_A strange mask sits on a table next to something that looks like a mechanical syringe, a file folder with "Weapon X" written on the front underneath them._

_A pink stuffed bear sits next to a toy car, discarded on the floor near the fireplace._

_A model of a sabretoothed tiger snarls silently from its perch on yet another small table._

_So many things in here, so much that he'd forgotten. But now all he had to do was reach out his hand and touch something and anything he'd ever wanted to know would be right there. With a smile, he reached out. And remembered._

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**AN:** Back home, safe and sound and he has to go and do such a Logan thing...:) You'll just have to wait a few days to see what happens next...:) Special thanks to my beta readers, Zac and Turiel Tincdaniel, who keep me in good spelling and grammar...:) Extra Special thanks to DBK(tm), when he can pull himself away from the online Star Wars thing long enough to badger me into writing more...Super Special thanks to the readers, who keep me smiling just by reading...and Super Swanky Special thanks to my reviewers, who were reeltreble1031 and Ineluctability...you guys rock:)

**So, click that little button there and give me a review or just say "hello", i don't care...:)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** Back there somewhere...you know the drill...but remember that Angela, Buzz, Chasca, Totem and Sam are mine...:)

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Chapter 7.

(Angela)

Hank led me back towards the front of the infirmary, giving Logan the privacy he needed with Rogue. I knew it was tearing him apart to see her like that, alive but still not with us, but if anyone could bring her out of this, it was him. Sometimes a father's love is all it takes to make a miracle and I had no doubts in my mind that he felt that way about Marie. Hell, I loved her too, just like one of my own. I'm sure that if Emma had lived, she'd have been a lot like our Rogue.

Hank made me lay down on one of the tables near the front and proceeded to give me a very thorough check-up. That's one advantage to having a doctor who's covered in fur; his hands are never cold. After going over my vitals, checking my ears, nose, throat, eyes and anything else he could think of, he finally sat down in front of me. "So, how is the little one doing?" He asked.

"Fine, as far as I can tell." I replied. "I've been a little tired, but other than that no real problems."

"Did you run into any trouble out there?"

"Well, yeah. Had an encounter with the same people who took Scott and started this whole escapade."

"And were you involved in this encounter?"

I rolled my eyes. "What do you want me to say? That I stood on the sidelines and cheered my teammates on to a grand victory? Of course I was involved. But I came through just fine and so did the baby, so can we please move on?"

"Angela, I thought I told you not to take any unnecessary risks out there." He admonished. "These first few weeks are critical to the baby's development and it's very easy for something to go wrong."

"Look Blue, I'm sorry ok? But I couldn't stand there and let my team get taken out while I stood around like an idiot. As it stands, we almost lost Kyro."

"Ah yes, Storm told me about that. Venomous bite not unlike a snake."

"Yeah. And if he didn't have a healing factor, he probably wouldn't have made it. So don't lecture me about being careful, all right?"

"So you've had no cramping or spotting since then?"

"Nothing. I feel great and so does my little Wolvie."

Hank chuckled at my nickname for the baby and made some notes in my chart. "Ok, I've asked Dr. Endicott to come out here the day after tomorrow to give you a complete prenatal exam. I've also taken the liberty of procuring an ultrasound machine, which should be here within the week. Dr. Endicott has also recommended a colleague of hers that has no problems with mutants to be your obstetrician, if you would like to meet her as well."

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. "Why not? What's another person to poke and prod at me every time I turn around?"

He winked at me and made a few more notes. "It's for your own good, my dear, yours and the baby. Am I correct in assuming that you won't be agreeable to a hospital birth?"

"I would rather vomit blood out my eyeballs." I replied dryly. "Just being down here is enough to give me the willies."

"Perfectly understandable, with your history and all." He wrote something else down. "Very well, I will tell Charles that we'll need the full setup down here for a home birth. With so many of the adults pairing off these days, I'm surprised we haven't needed it sooner."

"What can I say? We're driven by our instincts."

He smiled again and started to say something, but we both heard Rogue gasp and the sound of something hitting the floor. I leapt off the table and ran back there to find Rogue sobbing into her hands and Logan in a heap next to the chair. Hank was right behind me and went immediately to check on Logan, so I went to Marie. I quickly pulled on a pair of disposable gloves and took her hands in mine. "Marie, sweetheart, it's ok. You're ok, you're home now."

"What the hell happened to me?" She sobbed, looking into my eyes. "Last thing I remember, I think I was dyin'."

I sucked in my breath, but I didn't spare her. "Well, you kind of did. But when we got home, Josh brought you back." I smoothed her hair away from her forehead, trying to calm her down, but it wasn't working. Thankfully, the doors slid open and Charles came gliding into the infirmary.

"Is everything ok here?" Xavier asked, stopping his chair next to me. I nodded and absently handed him a pair of gloves.

"Angela, everythin' is s-so w-weird." Rogue stammered. "I-I could hear y'all, the Professor and you and everyone, b-but I couldn't figure out how to get b-back. I know the Professor tried, b-but it was so hard!"

"I know honey. But you're all right now." I continued to hold her and the Professor reached out and took one of her hands.

"I could see him, you know that? In the forest, in the rain, tryin' to bring me back like he did before, I saw the whole thing. I saw him go crazy and he hit you so hard. I saw him run off into that storm and there wasn't anythin' I could do!"

I stared at her in shock, not sure what to say about that, so I just hugged her and smoothed her hair until she seemed calm. In the meantime, Hank picked Logan up off the floor with little effort and deposited him on the table next to Rogue's. "Why didn't you tell me he might try something like this?" He asked me with a scowl.

"I didn't think he would," I replied, "not yet anyway. Maybe in a day or so, if talking to her didn't help."

"Angela, you shoulda known better." Rogue interjected, pulling away from me. "Like he'd leave me layin' here in a fuckin' coma if he could get me out of it." Her tone and the look in her eyes were pure Logan.

"Great, now everyone's going to blame me for this." I said under my breath, then glared at Marie. "Just don't try getting into the beer and cigars this time, ok?"

"Whatever. Is he gonna be ok?"

"His vitals are good, his heart rate's a little elevated but not dangerously so." He looked over to the Professor. "How long was he out after Liberty Island?"

"About two days, if I recall." Xavier replied. "It would be in Jean's notes."

"I don't think she absorbed quite so much this time. I estimate he'll come around in about two hours or so." He turned his attention to Rogue. "Now, my dear, I'm Dr. Hank McCoy. Let's see how you're doing." He proceeded to check her vitals, then removed her IV's and turned off the monitor behind her. "It looks like I can't keep you here any longer. His healing factor even managed to reverse any atrophy that was beginning in your muscles, so you're free to go." She jumped off the table and turned to leave, but he stopped her. "Ah! Not so fast, young lady. I want you back here in a week for another checkup. In the meantime, you are excused from all Danger Room sessions and defense training. Am I clear?"

"As crystal. Now can I please go? My skin feels like it's crawling off my bones." Hank nodded and she dashed out of the infirmary, still wearing the hospital gown.

I smiled a little and shook my head. Nothing like a healthy dose of Logan to help her get over being dead. "Well, if they didn't know we were home before, they will now."

"Don't worry about him, Angela." Xavier said, resting his hand on mine. "He only did this because he cares about her."

"No, not just because of that. He did it because he thought it was the only way to keep his word to her. Too damn honorable for his own good, I swear."

"Would you have him any other way?"

"No. Hell, I was on the verge of trying the same thing before I left, except…well, something came up and I didn't think it would be a good idea."

He raised an eyebrow at my cryptic remark, but didn't press me for details. "I know you must be tired after your adventure. Why don't you get some rest and we'll call you when he wakes up?"

"Thanks, but no. I should be here when he comes around, just in case." I didn't need to elaborate on my statement; there was a chance he'd revert back to his feral state when he came to and it would be best if I was there to talk him around. Charles simply patted my hand and glided away, followed closely by Hank. I pulled the chair around from Rogue's table to the one Logan was stretched out on and sat down heavily. "Lover, I've spent too much time waiting for you to come out of one thing or another." I whispered. "One of these days, I'm just going to take you away from all of this and keep you safe, I promise." I took his hand and kissed it, then settled in to wait for him to wake up.

I dozed off about half an hour later and woke up when I felt him stroking my hair. "Hey tiger. Been waitin' for me long?"

I stretched and turned to look at the clock. "Mm, about two hours. Right on cue according to Dr. McCoy."

He glanced at the table next to him and sighed in relief. "So it worked this time. Good."

"Well, you didn't have to bring her back from near-dead this time. But we better get going before she finds the beer."

He sat up slowly and cracked his neck. "I'm sorry I didn't warn you first. Didn't want you to try and stop me."

"I wouldn't have stopped you for long, just for today. Come on, let's get out of here." I stood and turned to go.

"Angela, wait." He said, gripping my arm lightly. I turned back to him and he sighed. "I have to tell you somethin'."

"What is it, Logan?" I asked, hopping up on the table next to him.

"James." He said and I gave him a confused look. "That's my name, James Howlett. Born November nineteenth, 1889 to John and Elizabeth Howlett. I had a brother, John, but he died when I was eight. My mother, she went kind of crazy after that, but I never knew why until later. I had a…well, I guess she was supposed to be like a nanny, but she wasn't much older than me. Her name was Rose. And there was this guy, Thomas Logan, he was the groundskeeper and he had a son everyone called Dog." My eyes grew wide as he recounted the story of his childhood, how he'd been sickly and weak until the night Thomas Logan broke in to kidnap his mother and killed his father. That was the night his mutation manifested for the first time and he killed the groundskeeper and wounded his childhood friend. Rose had taken a hefty bribe from his grandfather to take him away and she had, running with him as far as the money would take them. They'd wound up at a mining camp and when asked for his name, Rose had called him Logan, the name he would carry for the rest of his life. He told me how they lived, how he'd fallen in love with her even as she fell in love with someone else. And he told me how she died and he'd gone feral for the first time. "It's all there, darlin', every last bit of it. Thinkin' back, I wonder if Logan hadn't been my real father all along."

"So that's what happened out there? Seeing Rogue was just the catalyst?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I think so. I mean, not everythin' is clear yet, you know? Some of it's still damn fuzzy. But I keep havin' these…hallucinations or somethin'. First time was right before you took me to the cabin and I just had another one now, after touchin' Rogue. I can't remember them real well just now, but it's like my memory's put itself in a kind of order that I can access almost whenever I want to."

"Oh gods, this is great!" I exclaimed, throwing my arms around him. "Lo…oh crap, what do we call you now?"

He laughed. "I've been Logan too damn long to change now." He replied, returning my embrace. "But I gotta warn you, not everythin' that I've been rememberin' is good. Most of it seems to be pretty bad." He swallowed hard. "Seems like all the women I've loved have ended up dead and it's usually my fault somehow."

I pulled away and looked him in the eye. "Logan, you know that even if I wind up dead, it isn't going to last. We're forever, you know that."

"Even you can be killed, darlin'. So can I."

"Hey, I've survived you for this long. I think I can take it." He smiled weakly and I kissed him. "Come on, let's get out of here. I need a shower."

He smirked with a mischievous gleam in his eye. "Ya know, for someone who's named after a cat, you sure do like to play in the water."

"Less hassle afterwards." I hopped off the table and took him by the hand. He stood up and looked down at me, tracing my lips with his fingertip and I shivered. "Either come with me or get ready to give Blue a show, cuz I'm not waiting much longer." We didn't precisely run back to our room, but we did hurry. Any good news we had for everyone simply had to wait.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

We made it out of our room in time for dinner. As soon as we walked into the dining room, Logan was assaulted by a very pissed off Rogue. "Logan, how dare you do that again?" She shouted, slapping him on the shoulder. "You're a fuckin' idiot, did you know that?"

"Hey! I couldn't just leave ya layin' there, could I?" He replied, grabbing her gloved hand before she could hit him again. "I keep my promises, darlin'."

"It was still a stupid thing to do and tellin' me not to be mad at you for it? I know you know me better than that."

He chuckled. "That I do. But it's over and done, so you'll have to deal with it."

She glared at him, then suddenly threw her arms around his neck. "Just don't do it again, ok? It was hard enough arguin' with my inner you before."

He chuckled again and kissed the top of her head before sending her back to her table. I just stood there smirking and he gave me a scowl. "What?"

"Nothing! Nothing at all." I took his hand and dragged him to the staff table. "Come on, I'm starving."

We took our usual seats at the end with Kurt, who smiled and welcomed Logan back with a hearty slap to his shoulder. I noticed that Buzz was conspicuously missing from the table and scanned the room for him. I gaped when I saw he was sitting with Rogue, Bobby and Jubilee, holding hands with the latter.

"Am I seeing that right?" I asked Kurt, who nodded. "Well, will wonders never cease."

"She cornered him in the computer room a few days after you left." Kurt replied. "They have been dating ever since."

"Good for him. I always knew there was more to him than computer genius." I filled my plate and dug in, with a sudden love for carrots that I could only blame on Little Wolvie. "So, anything else change while I was gone?"

"Ja, ve have a couple new people who arrived about three weeks ago." He pointed to a table near the back where a couple of guys were sitting. "They came through the underground. The one on the right is Varren Vorthington III and I'm sure you can see his mutation vell enough." This was very true, since he was sporting a pair of gorgeous white feathered wings. Add to that a face and body to die for and I could see him breaking hearts in the near future. I nodded to Kurt to continue. "The one next to him is Remy LeBeau, he can charge objects vith explosive energy." As I watched, a couple of the older girls, Rahne Sinclair and Theresa Rourke if I wasn't mistaken, approach the table and sit down. Remy immediately leaned over to Rahne and she giggled. "He also has quite a bit of charm and it has some of the boys a little put out."

"What do you mean?" Logan asked, scowling.

"Vell, he flirts vith all of the girls you see and some of the boys think he is trying to move in on their territory."

"Ah, don't worry about it. He'll learn soon enough not to mess with our kids." He declared and I smiled, then we turned to other topics for the rest of the evening. It was now officially too cold to go outside for brandy after dinner, so Charles had finally relented and we retired to a little-used study on the first floor that he also designated the official indoor smoking room. I was a little surprised that Remy and Warren both joined us as well, but Kurt explained that although they'd come through the underground, they weren't officially students since they were both of age. Once all the drinks were poured and Logan was happily smoking away with his feet propped up, I made my way over to the two of them and introduced myself.

Warren was very sweet if a little shy, but Remy was positively shameless. "Ah, ma chere, Remy is most pleased to finally meet you." He said, bending over my hand to kiss it and I could almost feel the charm coming off him in waves. "I understand you are the one to talk to about joining the X-Men."

I pulled my hand away and resisted the urge to wipe it on my pants. "Not just me, Mr. LeBeau. Logan is my partner for training the new team members and Mr. Summers administers the final tests. It's not a decision to made lightly, on your part as well as ours."

"Remy understands, chere and will do his best to impress you."

I rolled my eyes and turned to Warren. "What about you? Were you thinking about joining the team?"

"I don't know about all that." He replied, his eyes downcast. "I came here because I was tired of always hiding what I am. My father, he kind of freaked when my wings started coming in, so I'm kind of the black sheep of the family I suppose."

"Well, you're welcome to stay here as long as you like, whether you join the team or not. And who knows? Maybe you can help out, teach some classes or something." I nodded to Chasca, who was laughing at something Kyro had just said. "You're not the only one here who can fly. Just one of two who has wings and we could certainly use the help."

"I'll think about it." He looked at me and smiled shyly.

"Good." I patted his arm reassuringly and made my way back over to Logan. "So, what do you think of the new guys?"

"I think the Cajun's gonna be a shitload of trouble, mark my words." He replied, then took a long drag off his cigar. "I don't get anythin' off the other one."

"My thoughts exactly." I ran my fingers through his hair and he rumbled low in his chest. "Now, now. None of that here."

"Keep doin' that darlin' and I'll carry you off."

"Tease." I grinned as he scowled at me. "But that'll have to wait. We have an announcement to make."

"That we do." He slid his hand behind my neck and pulled me down for a kiss, then stood quickly and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "Hey everyone, we got some things we want to tell you." Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared, since Logan wasn't really the speechmaking type. "First off, I wanted to thank Sam, Chasca an' Kyro for goin' with Angela to find me. I'm sorry as hell that you had to do it in the first place, but I'm much happier knowin' she didn't go alone."

"It was the least we could do, Logan-san." Kyro replied, bowing low. "And I had my own vow to consider."

"Still, I'm glad you didn't let her go runnin' off half-cocked on her own." Sam raised his glass to us and Chasca just smiled. "Now, I'm gonna let my woman tell you all the next bit."

I glared up at him and he just grinned. "You were on such a roll, lover, you could have kept going."

"What, and deny you the pleasure of tellin' 'em yourself? Never."

"Whatever." I took a deep breath and looked over at Hank, who just nodded. "Well, most of you already know this, except for Storm, Scott and you Professor. And our new friends, obviously." I took another breath and told them about the baby. Storm immediately came over and gave me a huge hug while Scott surprised us all by coming over and heartily shaking Logan's hand. Sam immediately raised a toast to the upcoming arrival and Hank unbent enough to allow me one small glass of wine. He then immediately removed me from active teaching duty in the defense classes and put me on restricted duty with Alpha team. I just sighed and finished my wine with a pout.

We stayed about another hour before I felt like I was ready to drop. Logan and I excused ourselves, but instead of heading right to our room, we stopped in to see how Rogue was doing. We found her in the lounge with Buzz and Jubilee, scowling at her math homework. As soon as we walked in, she threw her pencil down and dashed over to us. "Hey guys, how ya doin'?"

"Tired, on our way to bed." I replied, stifling a yawn. "We just wanted to see how you're feeling."

"I'd be a lot better if Mr. Summers would just let me slide on my math homework. Asshole expects me to be caught up by the end of the week!"

"Hey now, is that any way to talk about one of your teachers?"

"Shh, darlin', she can't help it." Logan said. "That's me talkin' for her."

"That's no excuse."

"Yeah it is, especially cuz it's true." Rogue said with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes. "Still, I'm only going to let you slide this time on account of your recent coma."

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that." I looked at her curiously, but followed her over to the sofa. "Angela, I know you're tired so I'll try to keep this short, but I can't think of anyone else who'll understand this."

"It's ok Marie. I have a feeling I know what you're going to ask me." Now it was her turn to give me a curious look and I continued. "Honey, you died and I'm the only other person you know who's done that and come back again."

"That's right." She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. "I can remember it all so clear. I can still feel the rain hittin' my face and I saw myself lying there for so long before Logan showed up. I mean, it felt like a really long time but I don't know how long it really was. But after that, I don't remember anythin' til I woke up today."

"And you want to know if that's what it's like for me?" She nodded and I sighed. "Well, not really. I can feel everything, just like you did, but when my body gives out that's it. There's really no way I can put it into words, like I told you all that day back in the spring. There's just this nothingness, a void I guess would be the best word for it. I'm still aware of me, but nothing about my body. I've read all there is on people who have died and come back and they all have the same story to tell, more or less, but that's not my story at all. There's no sense of time or physical sensation, but I also don't feel like I'm floating or see bright lights and all of that stuff. I don't know how my mutation works or what it means for me in the spiritual sense, but I do know this much." I leaned forward and took her gloved hand in mine. "Whoever it is that created this crazy world did everything they did for a reason. They made people like us because maybe someday we'll be the only things that can save the world. They made people like Stryker so we would know the difference between good people and bad. And they brought you back because you still have something you need to do and you are the only one who can do it."

She sat there for a long moment before reaching out and hugging me. "Thank you, Angela. There's a lot I gotta think about with this whole thing, but this'll help."

"You're welcome, sweetie. And if you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask me ok? Day or night, you come get me." She nodded and hugged me again, then we went and rejoined the others. Logan was telling Buzz and Jubilee a story about some fight he'd gotten into in a bar in Canada about ten years ago. The only thing I heard as I walked up was "I would have sworn she was a man". I crossed my arms and started tapping my foot. "Logan, what the hell are you telling these kids?"

"Oh, nothin' darlin'." He replied, standing up and wrapping an arm around my waist. "Just a little story about a case of mistaken identity is all."

"Mm-hmm, sure." He gave me a little squeeze and kissed the top of my head, then said goodnight to the kids and we made our way to our room. Once there, I flopped down on the bed without bothering to take off any of my clothes and tossed my arm over my eyes with a sigh. Logan chuckled and stretched out next to me. "Damn, I forgot how tiring it is to be pregnant."

"I wouldn't know, as far as I can remember right now." He replied, placing a hand on my stomach and rubbing gently. "So what's goin' on in there right now?"

"Quite a bit actually. He's not quite an inch long, probably has a heart already but we probably couldn't hear it. He's just growing, doing his thing."

"You keep sayin' he? Think it'll be a boy?"

"I don't know, lover. Some women say they know right away, but I didn't with Emma. I would have sworn I was having a boy by all the old wives tales and whatnot. At any rate, his nickname for now is Little Wolvie until he or she comes out."

"Little Wolvie?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well yeah. He's yours. What else would I call him? Little Angie?"

"You're not gonna tell the girls that's what you're callin' it, are you?"

I just smiled and kissed him, then got up and stripped down for bed. I snuggled up next to him and proceeded to make him forget all about his question, leaving him far too exhausted to worry about it.

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**AN:** Ok, so this update took me FOREVER! Somehow, I lost the completely edited version of this chapter...turns out, it was saved in the wrong folder...doh! But i found it and here it is for all of you...:) Special thanks to Zac and Turiel Tincdaniel, the best beta readers ever! Extra Special thanks to DBK(tm) for his constant support and badgering...Super Special thanks to my readers, who give me faith that there are people out there actually paying attention to this story...and Super Swanky Special thanks to those who have reviewed, which for chapter 6 were reeltreble1031 and Ineluctability...thanks ladies! Also to Dee (MidLifeCrisis) who didn't submit a review, but did tell me over IM that she liked it...:)

**Now, if you haven't already, click the little button that says "go" next to where it says "submit review". It only takes a few seconds and I do allow anonymous reviews!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: **Marvel and 20th Century Fox own the good stuff...i'm just playing with them...:)

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Chapter 8

(Logan)

_You're sitting on the bank of a river, the water rushing mere inches away from your feet. The sun is setting behind the mountains in the distance, the sky above you fading from blue to deepest purple, the clouds ablaze in orange, yellow and pink. You flick the ash from the end of your cigar and sigh, knowing this is the last day of peace that you'll have for weeks. You're being sent on another covert mission, this time to Hungary and the team you have assembled are all the tops of their fields._

_You hear a furtive sound in the long grass behind you and you smile a little. You know you're being stalked by the deadliest of predators and you have to time this perfectly or else all will be lost. As the sound draws closer, you tense a little and wait a few more seconds before springing your surprise counter attack. You fall on the predator with a growl, pinning it to the ground and launching your offensive. The shape beneath you giggles helplessly as you tickle him mercilessly._

_"Daddy, stop it!" He says breathlessly. "Stop tickling me I can't breathe!"_

_You scoop the boy up and toss him over your shoulder, striding purposefully to the river. "The only way to defeat the Blakemonster is water!" You snarl and he pummels your back with renewed laughter. You flip him around and grab him by the ankles, dangling him just above the water's surface. "Do you surrender, Blakemonster?"_

_"No, no, no!" He screams through his giggles. "I have a secret weapon!"_

_"Oh yeah? And what might that be, bub?"_

_Just then, another small figure grabs you around the waist and starts pulling you away from the river. "I'm the secret weapon!" She screams and you allow yourself to fall gently to the ground, cradling your son carefully so you don't hurt him._

_"Oh no! Not the Katiebeast!" You yell as the two of them fall on you and start a tickle attack of their own. Being ticklish is your biggest weakness as far as they're concerned and they take full advantage of that fact, leaving you gasping for breath when they finally tire themselves out. By then, full night is upon you, a billion stars filling the skies with their diamond glints. The Katiebeast snuggles in to your shoulder and you wrap an arm around her and kiss the top of her head. "Daddy, I love you." She says and you smile._

_"I love you too, Katiebeast." You reply as you gather your son into your other shoulder. The three of you lay there in the grass, watching the stars until more footsteps come up behind you._

_"Logan, how many times have I told you not to lay around in the grass with the kids?" She says, her irritation mostly feigned. You sit up and grin at her and she sighs before lowering herself to the ground next to you. You move your daughter in front of you and wrap your arm around your wife. She kisses you on the cheek and cuddles up close to you. "You are the most impossible man."_

_"Ah, but you love me anyway." You say and she chuckles softly. The four of you stay that way for a long time, long enough for the children to fall asleep in your arms. You gather up your son as your wife cradles your daughter to her breast and you make your way back to the house. You carefully tuck the children into bed, kissing them softly and closing the door behind you. You make the rounds of your house, checking the locks on all the windows and doors before joining your wife in your bedroom._

_She's sitting at her dressing table brushing out her long black hair in even strokes. You come up behind her and lift a portion of it to your lips, running the silken strands through your fingers. She puts down her brush and stands, smiling at you as she slides into your arms._

_"I wish you didn't have to leave tomorrow." She says as she presses herself against your chest. "I hate it when you're gone. I'm always afraid you'll never come back."_

_"I know, Elena, I really do." You reply as you maneuver her towards the bed. "But after this I'm bein' reassigned to the trainin' facility. I'll be home so much you'll get sick o' me before you know it."_

_"That will never happen, my love. I'm yours until the end of time." You make it to the edge of the bed and sit, pulling her down with you until she's stretched out on top of you. You cup her face in your hands, studying every feature from her deep blue eyes to the curve of her lips, your thumb softly caressing her cheekbone. You truly wish what she said was true, that she'd be yours forever. She knows that you're a mutant. You had to tell her, to give her a chance to leave before it was too late for either of you to turn back. But she didn't care, she loves you just the way you are. What she doesn't know is how old you really are, how your mutation keeps you young and healthy. She'll figure it out eventually, when you haven't changed but she's gotten older. You hope your love will be enough when that happens._

_But you're not going to worry about that right now. You draw her face down to yours and kiss her, sliding your hand down her back and lifting her nightgown over her head. A moment later, she carefully undresses you and the two of you explore one another tenderly, memorizing every curve, every line. Hours later, as the moon is rising and the two of you are bathed in it's silvery glow, you hold her close as she falls asleep, locking the image in your mind. You'll be back in a few weeks and after that you'll never have to be apart from her for that long again. Still, you want to take this image with you, so you'll never forget the woman you love._

_Five days later, as you're sitting in a hotel room in Hungary, a fire raged through the isolated Canadian prairie, taking your house, your wife and your children with it. You didn't even find out until you returned home almost a month later._

_Three years later, Fate delivered you into the hand of a madman. Three weeks after that, he took your memories away. Three months later, you were sent into the field with a woman so much like you that you loved her from the start. A year later, you escaped with her from the only life you'd ever known and started down a path you could have never predicted._

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I woke up all at once, sitting straight up with a cry of pure anguish. I looked around the room and for a second I didn't know where I was. The bed was in the wrong place, the closet was on the wrong side of the room and Elena's dressing table was missing. I felt a hand on my shoulder and I jumped a little, whipping my head around to face Angela. As soon as I saw her, I broke down completely.

"Logan! What's wrong?" She cried, cradling my head against her shoulder and stroking my hair. "Answer me, please!"

I shook my head, not able to put into words what I'd just seen, just remembered for the first time in almost twenty years. I'd had a wife, a family and they were gone; Stryker had seen to that. Granted, it had been an accident of nature that killed them, but Stryker had stolen my memories of them. Until now.

"Logan, come on talk to me!" Angela pleaded. "What did you see?"

I turned into her and wrapped my arms around her waist, my face buried in her neck. I breathed in her scent, which always has a calming effect on me, but it still didn't stop the tears from coming. I'm not the kind of guy who cries over just anything and Angela knows that. But this wasn't just anything, this was remembering another life, another family and another woman I'd loved enough to marry. A family that I'd lost and probably grieved over, but had forgotten all about until now. I shook my head again and just let her hold me until I could pull myself together enough to face her.

It took longer than I thought it would. Grayish light was seeping through the window when I finally took a deep breath and raised my head. She looked just as upset as I felt, but she had a right to know what I'd seen, that I'd had almost twenty years of grieving come crashing in on me all at once. Steeling myself, I told her.

To her credit, she didn't move or say anything, she just let me tell her everything. I thought I saw a bit of passing jealousy in her eyes, but what did I expect? Here I was, telling her every chance that I got that I loved her and only her, that I would be with her forever, yet I'd said the same things to another woman in another place and time. Would I be here right now, in Angela's arms, had Elena lived? Probably not. Probably never. As much as losing Elena had hurt me, the thought of losing Angela hurt me more, which should have told me something. At the time, I just felt like I was betraying Elena's memory by having a somewhat happy life, even as my grief over my wife and children overwhelmed me. Everything that a person feels as they grieve had hit me in that moment, the sorrow of the loss, the anger at myself for not being there, the guilt for being glad I was alive. For the first time in months, I was not safe to be around.

I threw myself out of bed and pulled on one of the Xavier School sweat suits we always had a stock of. Angela was out of bed right behind me. "Logan, where are you going?"

"Danger Room." I snapped, running my hand through my hair. "I need to think." She reached out to grab a sweat suit of her own, but I grabbed her wrist. "What the hell you think you're doin'?"

"Coming with you."

"No, you're not." She glared at me and I dropped her arm. "I need to be alone, all right? Just, leave me alone!" I stalked out of the room, ignoring her voice calling my name behind me and ran down the stairs to the lower level. Once in the Danger Room, I locked the door behind me and shamelessly used my authority to disable the override codes that would allow anyone to end the program and come in after me. I wasn't in a killing mood, but I needed to hit something, someone, so I called up a scenario Buzz had done for me months ago. "Computer, run program 'King of the Cage'." I barked and the steel walls morphed into the rough walls and sawdust covered floor that looked like every other cage-fighting bar in Canada. "Set to level ten. Begin program."

The bar was instantly filled with a wide array of people, mostly hard-eyed men and even harder women. I made my way through the press of bodies to the cage that was set up in the middle of the room, two thugs duking it out while the crowd cheered them on to new levels of violence. I stripped off my shirt and waited for the match to end before taking my place inside the cage.

The thing I like about the Danger Room is how real Buzz can make everything seem. Don't get me wrong, Cyke wasn't half bad at programming it, but Buzz can do things with a computer that should be impossible. So as I waited for my opponent to enter the cage, I shivered a little in the chilly air, my skin breaking out in gooseflesh when a cold draft breathed down my neck. The air smelled of beer, smoke, sweat and fresh blood with an undertone of overused women. If I tried hard enough, I could make out a hundred different actual conversations through the constant babble. Hell, knowing him, I could walk over the bar and get a beer that every part of me would swear was real. I hadn't set foot in a real cage in almost a year, but with this scenario I'd never need to again.

The emcee asked for my name, then started his spiel while his partner took bets outside and scanned the crowd for a likely opponent. I simply stood off to one side, my back to the cage just like in the old days as I waited for my first victim. He had the build of a logger, going a little soft around the middle as some of them do as they get on in years. His hair was cropped short and he didn't waste any time getting in a few shots to my kidneys while my back was still turned. I threw my left elbow back and felt a satisfying crunch as his nose broke, following it with a quick jab to his gut and an uppercut to his jaw, laying him out flat on his back, out for the duration. I took my place back to one side and waited again.

On and on they came, one thug after another, getting progressively harder to beat as the scenario wore on. One of them came complete with brass knuckles, no match for my adamantium ones. Another snuck a knife in and managed to stick it in my thigh before I smashed his face with my knee. An hour passed, then another and still they came, an endless supply of opponents, each one upping the ante a little when he stepped into the cage. And still I beat them, none of them able to do enough to me take me out. By the end of the third hour, I'd beaten four times as many people as the virtual bar would actually hold, but that didn't matter. As long as I stayed in the cage, the computer would continue to try and come up with an opponent who could beat me. But that wasn't the point of this scenario. It was designed to let me pummel as many assholes as I could without needing to resort to using my claws. Buzz had told me there were a few surprises in this program, but I'd never tried to figure out what they were. I just got in the cage, fought until I was done and left.

I was coming up on the end of the fourth hour when I realized someone was watching me from the observation booth above. I wiped the sweat out of my eyes and left the cage, pushing my way back to the center of the virtual bar. I called out to the computer to end the program and peered up into the booth, expecting to find Angela in there. I raised an eyebrow when I saw that my audience was actually Scott. I nodded to him and his voice came over the intercom. "Logan, would you like to open the door so that I can come in there, please?"

"What for?" I snapped, still not done working through the emotional roller coaster that remembering my lost family had put me on.

"Because Angela's worried about you and quite frankly, so am I. I swear, it's just me. No one's going to ambush you when you unlock the door."

I grunted, but did as he asked and unlocked the main door. A moment later, he came in and stopped a few feet from me, arms crossed. "You know the rules about level ten scenarios without backup." He stated.

"Yeah, what of it?" I said, glaring at him. "This one ain't a killer, it's a fighter. Nothin' in here gonna hurt me for long."

"That's not the point and you know it." He leveled his gaze at me and I'm sure that under that visor he was giving me his hardest stare, but it was naturally lost on me. "Anyway, that's not why I'm here."

"You said Angela was worried 'bout me. Well, you can go back and tell her I'm just fine, all right?"

"You're not fine. Logan, she told me."

A growl escaped from my throat and my fists clenched involuntarily at my sides. "She had no fuckin' right to say a damn thing to anyone!" I shouted.

"Maybe, maybe not. It's too late either way." He lowered his arms and sighed. "Look, she asked me to come because she didn't think you'd talk to her."

"And she thought I'd talk to YOU? No fuckin' way. It'll be a damned cold day in hell when that happens."

"Logan, as hard as it is for you to believe, I know what you're feeling."

"NO YOU DON'T!" I snarled, my claws popping out on their own. "Don't you fuckin' dare compare what happened with Jean to this!" My breath came in harsh gasps as it all came back in a flood. How I met Elena, the day I asked her to marry me, the day Blake was born, Katie following three years later. My wife, my children, and I wasn't there to save them. I threw my head back and screamed, then fell to my knees clutching my head.

Scott didn't move from his spot, but he did keep talking. "Yes Logan, I do. Don't you think it kills me every day knowing that I couldn't do anything to save her? And unlike you, I haven't been given a second chance, not yet. You're not the only person who's lost someone they loved more than life. Or did you forget about Emma, too?"

It was like he'd doused me in ice-cold water when he asked me that. One second, I was holding onto my sanity by a thread, my rage threatening to overwhelm me and the next, my head snapped up and I was looking at Scott, horrified. I didn't want to admit it, didn't want him to be right about any of it. But he had lost Jean, who had meant so much more to him than she had to me. Angela had lost her only child to Stryker's chamber of horrors. Unlike Scott, I did have a second chance at all of it, with Angela and now our baby. Yes, my grief over my family was still there, very raw and very real, but I had a new life now that I had to think about and even if the guilt at having this life ate at my very soul, it didn't change the fact that I loved Angela more than I'd loved Elena. And that was almost the hardest part of the whole thing to swallow.

My claws finally slid away and Scott crouched down in front of me. "I know it's like all of that just happened to you a few hours ago. I can't imagine what that's like. But you have a woman upstairs waiting for you who only wants to love you, who believes you're worthy of that love. Please do yourself a favor and prove her right."

"Cyke, you don't know what you're talkin' about." I whispered harshly.

"Yes, I do. I loved Jean so much and I miss her every minute of every day. I have no doubt that you loved your other family just as much. But they're gone and you have Angela right in front of you and she's going to be with you for as long as you want her to be." He snorted bitterly. "Hell, even death can't keep her away from you for long. She lost her daughter and she wasn't able to save her. Now you both have a second chance. Don't throw it away, Logan. She deserves better than that." He stared at me for another moment before turning his back on me. I listened as he left the Danger Room and doors slid closed behind, finally allowing myself to break down when I was sure I was alone.

Damn it, he was right about all of it and as much as my heart was breaking all over again for Elena and our children, it was also completely devoted to Angela and now the baby we were going to have together. I couldn't help but wonder what kind of fucked up world it was when an asshole like me was given chance after chance, yet a stand-up guy like One-Eye seemed doomed to live with losing the only one he'd get. Damn it, he was right.

I dragged myself to my feet and retrieved my sweatshirt, wiping my face with it before pulling it back over my head. Yes, I grieved deeply for the woman I'd loved and lost, the children I'd never get to see grow up. But I'd also never suffer the agony of watching them grow old and die while I endured. Angela would be there as long as I was, watching as the world moved on without us. I scrubbed my face and let out a long sigh, still not completely ready to face her but out of excuses to put it off any longer. I slowly made my way back upstairs, pausing for a moment outside the bedroom door to compose myself the rest of the way.

When I pushed the door open, I stopped and smiled at the scene in front of me. Angela was sleeping, her body wrapped around my pillow, her hair fanned out around her. She'd let it grow long and the curls reached almost to her waist, chocolate brown and currently streaked with a shade of violet so dark it almost blended with the rest of it. Her breathing was slow and even, but I could still smell the faintly bitter tang of tears; she'd probably cried herself to sleep. A lump formed in my throat when I thought of the pain I'd caused her and I could only hope she'd forgive me for being such a dick. I closed the door as softly as I could and crept to the bed, then stretched out behind her and wrapping my arm around her waist. She stirred a little and turned over, opening her eyes slowly. "Hey tiger." I whispered. "I'm sorry I was an asshole."

Her voice was soft, but her eyes were hard. "Logan, you can't shut me out like this." She murmured. "You have over a hundred years that's catching up with you. If you're just gonna take off every time you remember something bad, tell me now so I can go."

My heart clenched painfully in my chest. "What're you talkin' about?"

"I can't do it, Logan. I can't be your lover and your mate only when everything is good inside your head. It's all or nothing. I love you, more than I'll ever be able to tell you, but you broke my heart again today."

"I know, darlin' and I'm sorry. It was just too much, too fast and…"

"Don't you think I know that? Don't you think I understand that it's not gonna be easy to live with? Gods only know how many other memories you'll get back that hurt you just as much. Is it gonna be like this every time, you taking off to the Danger Room or gods know where and leaving me here to wonder and worry? Or will you remember that I'm yours for life and that includes the bad parts too?"

"Angela, what do you want me to say? That I fucked up? I know I did, I'm an idiot. I was so wrapped up in my own head that forgot everythin' else. It's just…I went to bed last night an' all I could think about was our future, our baby, but I woke up this mornin' and there was this whole other family that came back to me an' I wasn't expectin' that. I didn't mean to shut you out."

She sighed and relaxed a little bit, but her eyes remained as hard as before. "I know, Logan. And believe me, I know what it's like to want to run away and let the grief overwhelm you. I didn't get a chance to grieve for Emma until months after she was gone. I had too much other stuff keeping me busy, what with escaping Alkali Lake and everything that happened in the months after that. But once I was alone, I didn't think I'd make it. I lost you and it was like this barrier came down and opened up the grief I'd held off over her. There were times I didn't want to go on, but I knew I had to, if for no other reason than to see you one last time." She lifted her hand to my face, stroking my cheek gently and her eyes finally softened a bit. "I love you, Logan, forever. I'm not your wife and I don't need to be to know that it's true. I just want you to trust me."

"I do, darlin'. I can't promise I won't do stupid shit anymore, but I can promise that I'll try not be such an asshole about it from now on, ok?"

"I suppose it'll do for now." She leaned in and kissed me gently before snuggling into my chest. I just laid there, enjoying the way she felt in my arms and eventually we both drifted back to sleep.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

We woke up again a few hours later and I could tell that Angela was still pissed at me. Not that I blamed her, not really, but I hoped it wouldn't last for too long. I knew how well my woman could hold a grudge and I really didn't want to be on the receiving end of that if I could help it. But I'm not a man who's known for being overly romantic and I didn't know how to make this up to her. While she took a shower, I weighed my options and decided to corner Sam later and ask him for advice. He and Storm were pretty sickening in their complete devotion to each other, so if anyone would know how to make a grand apology, it would be him.

Still, when she emerged from the bathroom twenty minutes later, she came over and wrapped her arms around me, resting her head against my chest for moment. I leaned down and pressed my cheek to the top of her head, but I didn't say anything. The ball was most definitely in her court now and there was precious little I could do or say to bring this to a close. When she pulled away, she gave me a little half-smile and kissed me softly. "I'm still mad at you, you know."

"Yeah, I know." I replied, resting my forehead against hers. "But I'll make it up to you, somehow."

"I don't want you to make it up to me. I want you to make it never happen again. I was serious this morning when I said I would go." I pulled back, panic raging through my body and she tightened her grip on me. "Not forever, I couldn't do that to either one of us. But yeah, I'd go at least until you've got all those memories back. I can't sit back and just watch you tear yourself apart over every bad thing that's ever happened in your life."

"That could take a long time, you know, gettin' it all back."

"I know, lover. We'll come up with something, but we'll do it together."

I nodded and she kissed me again before opening the bedroom door. There were two notes waiting for us, one from Hank asking her to come to the infirmary, the other for me from the Professor. That could only mean one thing; he knew my memories were coming back. I sighed and Angela smirked at me, then wished me good luck and went to her appointment with Dr. McCoy. I took a quick shower and went to meet with Xavier.

He met me in the study instead of his office, which I think he did so I could smoke while we discussed things. That was fine with me, since it would give me something to do while the Professor lectured me or whatever it was he planned on doing. It was odd, really. The nap I'd gotten after my Danger Room cage fight had done wonders to let the memory of Elena and my children settle itself back in where it belonged in my head. It no longer felt like I'd just lost them, the pain was still there but it was more like a dull ache, something I could live with. I would always love them all, but they were gone and I had my life now to focus on.

I actually beat Xavier to the study by about fifteen minutes, so I settled into an armchair near the window where the ashtray was. I lit a cigar and propped my feet up on the windowsill, going over the memories that were coming into clearer focus as time went on. It seems that I'd been in the military more often than not, since I had memories of all of them up to Desert Storm. It was around then that Stryker had captured me, but I was still in the Special Forces at that time, so I'm sure it was only my untimely disappearance that kept me out of that particular conflict. I had some memories that were as clear as the window in front of me, like the one where I was leading an extraction team through a bombed-out town somewhere in the south of France. Others were still vague, hazy recollections of slogging through jungles or carefully navigating minefields. The parts in between were the hardest to grasp and I could only catch a glittering eye here, a shy smile there. So many things, so many people. I wondered how many were still alive.

Chuck finally showed up when I was halfway through my cigar. He brought his chair to a rest across from me and I nodded in greeting. He didn't waste any time getting to the point. "Logan, why didn't you tell me your memory was coming back this way?"

I shrugged. "I guess I didn't know how to explain it."

"Try." His voice was almost cold, his expression hard. I took a long drag off my cigar and launched into an explanation of what I'd seen the two times I'd been out in a healing coma. His face relaxed somewhat, became less hard but no less focused as I described the setting and the things that had come back during both hallucinations and since the last one the day before. When I finished, he let out a deep breath and his shoulders slumped into a more natural posture. "Logan, although I am deeply relieved that your memory has put itself into some kind of order that you can interpret, I am still disturbed by your reactions to those memories."

"Hey, I've already had one lecture today, I ain't in the mood for another one." I snapped, grinding out my cigar.

"I'm not trying to lecture you. I'm offering to help."

I scowled. "Help how?"

"I may be able to set up a kind of mental barrier to keep the older memories from feeling so immediate when they come loose." I opened my mouth to protest, but he held up a hand and I waited. "No, this isn't the same as the ones that Stryker's telepaths put in. This will simply keep them slightly removed from the you-now. They will still be tangible and very real, but you'll see them as an outside observer as opposed to an active participant."

I pulled out another cigar and chewed on the end without lighting it, thinking about what he was offering. I could see where it might not be so bad to remember some of this stuff from outside of it, especially if it helped me keep the peace with Angela. On the other hand, these were my memories and deep down, I wanted to experience them the way they'd actually happened. "I don't know, Chuck. I'll haveta think about it."

"That's all I can ask." He looked at the clock in the corner. "I believe you have a defense class to teach in a few minutes." He said, backing his chair up as I stood. "Remember what Dr. McCoy said about Angela not teaching with you."

"I ain't the one you gotta worry about." I said and made my way to the class. I'd missed the first class of the day, but Piotr had subbed in for me. This class was shaping up to be the next team if Delta made it through, which spoke volumes for the way the kids had taken to their training in here. At the rate they were going, there wasn't going to be a kid left at the school that wasn't an X-Man. What most of the staff didn't know was the part where that was our intention all along. Sure, we'd heard stuff on TV about how mutants were becoming less of a threat and that the Registration Act had been finally shot down in Congress, but Angela and I never believed a word of it. Stryker was all the proof we needed that no matter how things look on the surface, it's the dark places underneath that you have to worry about. And with assholes like Magneto and his band of psychos running around, it was only a matter of time before the truth came out. So yeah, we pushed the kids pretty hard, but it helped us sleep better at night, knowing we'd done all we could to prepare them to keep themselves alive. No matter what, it had to be enough.

Ninety minutes later, the class filed out of the Danger Room to the showers and Angela came in when they were gone. She slipped her arms around my waist and leaned her head against my chest with a sigh. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry about this morning." She said, her voice muffled by my shirt. "I forgot how the hormones make me an emotional wreck when I'm pregnant."

"So it's not just a libido thing? They have to make you crazy, too?" I replied with a smirk. She giggled a little and looked up at me. "Don't worry about it, darlin'. You were right, I was a dick and I promise I'll let you kick my ass if I do it again, ok?"

"That's fair." She smiled and I leaned down to kiss her, my hands buried in her hair. I liked that she was letting it grow and not just because it gave me something to hold on to. Crazy-colored streaks aside, it gave her this unearthly look, like a tiny goddess right out of a myth. I was about to order the computer to lock down the entire Danger Room so I could have some alone time with her when we heard someone clear her throat from the doorway. Angela broke the kiss with a curse. "I really hate people sometimes." She muttered quietly.

I looked over and saw Storm standing there with a knowing smirk on her face. "It's good to see the lovebirds have made up." She said as she walked in.

"Don't call us that." I said with a scowl. "We ain't 'lovebirds'."

"Sure Logan. If it makes you feel better to believe that, you go right ahead." My scowl deepened and she just laughed at me. "Actually, I came down here because I need to talk to you about one of the new guys."

"Let me guess." Angela said and pretended to think for a minute. "Remy?"

"Got it in one." She called out to the computer to run a program she called "Storm's Sanctuary" and the Danger Room melted into a breathtaking view of the African plains. She smiled and sat down in the tall grass, motioning for Angela and me to make ourselves comfortable. "I had Buzz program this for me a couple weeks ago."

"Feelin' a little homesick?" I asked, breathing in the warm air.

"Once in a while." She closed her eyes as a breeze blew through her hair and sighed. "But as much as I'd love to just sit here, I do have legitimate business." She leaned forward and launched into her story.

Remy had come from New Orleans, where he'd been making a living as a thief and pickpocket with the occasional illegal poker game just to mix things up. It had been during one of these games where his mutation first manifested. By backtracking the dates, it appeared that it happened when Xavier had been captured by Stryker and was being used by him in his attempt to destroy all the mutants on the planet. With little to no control over his powers, he'd dropped from sight and remained hidden until he'd figured out how activate it at will. Shortly after this, he'd run into an old friend who had heard about the poker incident and gave him information on the underground. After a few weeks in a safe house near New Orleans, he overheard the woman in charge down there talking to someone else about the school and the X-Men. Two days later, he took off and showed up on our doorstep a week after that.

That had been just over two weeks ago. In that time, he'd managed to piss off every boy over the age of fifteen in the mansion by shamelessly flirting with all the girls. Even Storm hadn't been safe from his attentions, which annoyed Sam to no end. The only person he hadn't pissed off was Bobby and that was only because Rogue had been in a coma at the time. Now she was awake and it would only be a matter of time before that changed. "Which brings me to the issue at hand." Storm said with a sigh. "Remy is hell bent on becoming an X-Man. I don't know how I feel about that, since most of his life was spent on the streets, doing goddess only knows what to survive."

I cleared my throat and leaned forward. "Darlin', I almost hate to play devil's advocate here, but didn't you do much the same thing when you were young?"

Her mouth gaped and her eyes widened, which made me chuckle. A heartbeat later, she snapped her mouth closed and glared at me. "How did you know about that?"

I shrugged. "Like we've been sayin' for months now, that Buzz is a genius." She intensified her glare and the wind began to pick up. "Look, I asked him for complete backgrounds on everyone, includin' you. Never know when an old talent'll come in handy on a mission and I wanted to know what everyone could do outside of their mutation."

"Why didn't you just ask me?"

"Would you have told me?"

She narrowed her eyes, but relaxed and shook her head. "No, probably not. It's not something I'm all that proud of."

"I understand that. But you can't look down at Remy for the same things. You turned out all right."

"Yes, I suppose I did." She stood up and brushed off her pants. "Well then, I'll put him on the class schedule for defense and strategy starting next week. Congratulations Logan, you have a new recruit."

"Be still my beatin' heart." I said dryly and we all laughed. Storm ended the program and once again left Angela and I alone in the Danger Room. My arm snaked around her waist and I pulled her close with a playful grin. "So darlin', you ever thought about makin' love in the wilds of Africa?" Her smile was all the answer I needed.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**AN:** Yay, another chapter done! Only like 13 to go, hehehehehe...:) I do want to mention that i found another story i started before i began "Torn Asunder", so i'm also working on finishing that one so i can get it posted...it's way different from this series, a crossover with a couple books by Dean Koontz that i absolutely adore...:) Look for that at some point in the next few weeks...in the meantime, Special thanks to Zac and Turiel Tincdaniel for being the best beta readers ever...Extra Special thanks to DBK(tm) for pushing me to keep this story going...Super Special thanks to my readers, i'm glad you're still with me! And Super Swanky Special thanks to those who have reviewed, which are Ineluctability, reeltreble1031, sela103 and KatieD...thanks for your kind words!

**Now go ahead and click the little "go" button down there where it says "submit review"...even if it's just to say hello! And i'll give you a shout-out at the end of the next chapter!**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9.

(Angela)

November gave way to December by dropping six inches of snow on us. The students were thrilled and it was nearly impossible to keep their attention during class. Logan and I finally threw up our hands in despair and released our last strategy class early so they could go play. Twenty minutes later, I threw up _my_ hands in despair and let Logan go play, too. A hundred and seventeen years old and still he had a need to go out, build a fort and lob frozen missiles at people. He's definitely living proof that men never really grow up.

Two weeks later was the start of the official holiday break at the school. Those students who were still on good terms with their families went home, but the vast majority would be staying. Regular classes were cancelled, which did not include Danger Room and gift training sessions. Those continued without interruption, especially for Beta team. We had long ago reached the point where we had nothing more to actually teach them, we could only help them to hone the skills we'd given them. They'd already been field-tested, some of them more than once, but anything else they needed to know could only be learned by doing. It was in this spirit that Logan and I had a long meeting with the rest of the staff concerning their status at the school.

I gave a detailed report on each student, making sure to include their performance during the missions we'd been on. They all had as much control over their powers as they were likely to get and they'd all kept up their grades in the rest of their classes with remarkable dedication. As far as I was concerned, there was no reason to hold them back and it was high time we graduated the lot of them and made them a permanent part of the team. Naturally, there was resistance to this idea.

"I still think it's too soon." Scott was insisting. "They haven't even been training a full year and you want to boost them up to Alpha team?"

"Scott, there's nothing left to teach them." I replied as calmly as I could. "Defense class with them is nothing more than sparring. They've passed strategy and tactics with flying colors and we've thrown some damned impossible scenarios at them in there. Anything else they need to learn can only be learned in the field."

"So what happens with Beta team? We just do away with it?"

"No, not even close. We advance Delta into Beta's position, they're ready for it. And we put together a new Delta team out of the kids who show the most promise."

"Keep in mind that we're puttin' together another team while you're at it." Logan said. "Call it the first step in becomin' an X-Man."

"What the hell are you talking about Logan?" Scott snapped.

"I'm talkin' about the new Gamma team. Any student that says they want in and is approved by any member of Alpha team will start on Gamma. They have to be at least fourteen and have to keep up their grades in their other classes or they're out til the next school year. It'll also give us a chance to test any older mutants comin' from the underground who say they want in."

"You mean Remy, don't you?" Storm asked.

I nodded. "We sure do. He won't be the only one, mark my words. Like it or not, word's been getting around about us through the underground. A couple of the safe houses have been emailing me and asking for visits, but I…"

Scott interrupted me. "How come we weren't told about this?"

"Because I didn't think we were ready. Now, maybe, but back when I got the messages we were still dealing with the Totem situation, your grieving process and getting the chip out of Logan's head. And we all know what happened just a few weeks later." Everyone grew silent and Scott pointedly stared at his shoes. "At any rate, it doesn't stop the people who run those safe houses from talking about us, telling these people who the heroes are that made all that possible. Sure, the kids mostly come here, but there are plenty of adult mutants out there and maybe some of them will get the same idea Remy had and show up here wanting to be heroes too. We needed a way to weed out the ones who would never make it, so we decided on Gamma team."

"An' that ain't all." Logan piped in. "We have another idea, but it can wait til we're done talkin' about Beta team."

It took another hour before Scott was convinced, but we finally got him to admit that Beta team was ready for advancement. I know that deep down he was trying to protect them, but being X-Men is what they wanted and there was no logical reason not to grant their wish. We decided to graduate them on Christmas Day and went on to the next topic.

"So, what's this 'other idea' Logan." Scott asked.

He looked at me and I nodded, taking a seat next to Sam while Logan took center stage. "A lotta shit's gone down in the past year and it got me to thinkin'." He began. "Stryker's invasion here, Alkali Lake BOTH times, Hudson Bay, they were all carried out with hurtin' us in mind. Now, we got us a guy in your White House that seems to be ok with mutants an' he's tryin' his best to make things right a little bit at a time. But we might not get so lucky with the next guy or the guy after him. Or some of those other active Weapon X operatives could be sent to infiltrate the underground or even get sent here. So I talked it over with Angela an' we came up with Omega team."

"Another team? Logan, how many teams do you think we can support around here?"

"Omega ain't a regular team. It won't have certain people on it all the time. It's the team that gets put together when nothin' else will do, when you absolutely, positively have to fuck as much shit up as you can."

"And who's in charge of this team? You?"

"Nope." He looked at the Professor. "Chuck here's the only one with the authority to call Omega into action. An' you know if he's the one callin' for it, then the shit's really about to hit the fan. Leader of Omega will be the X-Man with the most seniority."

Scott turned to Xavier. "Did you know about this Professor?"

"Angela came to me a few days ago with the basic proposal." He replied. "I told her that I would not make this decision on my own." He leaned forward in his chair. "You are the leader of the X-Men, Scott and I am not going to take that away from you. However, there may come a time when certain gifts are more of a hindrance and a special team would need to be called."

"Like what?"

"Well, for one, there's Magneto." I said. "Much as I hate to admit it, if Logan, Totem or I get within half a mile of the guy, we're his bitches. Hell, he's probably strong enough to rip the adamantium out of all of us without breaking a sweat and I hate to think what that would do to us. So if he comes out of hiding long enough to launch another offensive, we are not the best choice to send out there. But if we sent a team of you, Sam, Storm, Kurt, Inferno and Bedlam, you'd have everything you need."

"On the other hand, if it's somethin' else, a military action, then you could send me, Angela, Kyro, Chasca an' Kitty an' there'd be no stoppin' us." Logan said. "Omega team is just what it sounds like, the last resort." He took a deep breath and looked Scott in the eye. "The final solution."

Scott paled when he realized what we intended with Omega team. "You mean it's the team you send when there's no choice but to kill someone." Logan nodded and I got up to stand by his side. "A hit squad."

"No, not a hit squad." I snapped. "You send a hit squad to take care of something before it becomes a problem. Omega is what we'll send when everything else has failed. And I do mean everything."

He sighed and sat down heavily in one of the armchairs. "And you say that Charles is the only one with the authority to mobilize that team?" We both nodded. "All right then, I'll agree to it. Unless someone else has any objections?"

"I vould just like to say that I do understand vhy you vant to do this." Kurt murmured. "I do not like it and I hope ve never have to use it. But, as you say, if everything else has failed and there is no other choice…vell, I can understand it." He looked at Scott with a sad expression. "I know it is not the kind of thing you vould normally do, mein freund. But I vill do vhatever needs to be done to keep all people safe from harm."

"Don't worry, Cyke." Logan said. "We might never need to use Omega team. But if Chuck calls for it, then whoever he sends has to be able to do whatever is necessary." Scott nodded, his jaw clenched so tight I could hear his teeth grinding together. "I mean it. Omega won't be goin' into situations where disablin' someone will do."

"Well, we'll just have to make sure there's never a need for it then, right?" Scott said.

"Ain't us you gotta worry about, bub. It's the rest of the damn world."

No one had anything to say to dispute that and the meeting broke up quickly after that. I, for one, was supremely grateful. Being pregnant was wearing me down and I was getting desperate for a nap. However, I wasn't going to get my wish for some time and I had none other than Remy to thank for that.

Logan had just gone downstairs to prep the Danger Room for Beta team when I heard raised voices in the lounge. I didn't see any other staff members around, so with a sigh I made way there and stopped dead at the scene before me. Bobby and Remy were faced off, Bobby's fists coated in ice while Remy held what appeared to be a glowing playing card between his first two fingers. Rogue was in between them with her hands raised, trying to keep them apart.

"Damn it Bobby!" She shouted, her face turning red. "Nothin' happened, for Christ's sake!"

"That's not what it looked like to me!" He retorted as ice began to creep up his arms.

"Listen to la belle femme, my friend." Remy said with a half-smile on his face. "She was jus' helpin' Remy adjust to tings 'round here."

"Helping you adjust? How does whispering something that made her blush qualify as adjusting?"

"Bobby Drake, you are being an ass!" Rogue snapped. "He was just giving me a compliment!"

"What could he have possibly been complimenting to make you blush like that?"

Oh, was THAT ever the wrong thing for him to say. Rogue narrowed her eyes and she clenched her hands tightly at her sides. "I don't know, _Iceman_. Maybe if you spent less time tryin' to figure out how to kiss me without killin' yourself, you'd see plenty of things about me to compliment!"

"Rogue, I didn't mean…" He began, but she cut him off with a glare.

"No, maybe you didn't." She said, her tone low and almost threatening, a bit of residual Logan coming through. "But ya still fuckin' said it, didn't you?"

"Don' fret yourself, ma chere." Remy piped up. "It not your fault if he don' see what is righ' in fron' of him."

"Why you!" Bobby yelled and I took that as my cue to intervene.

I jumped in between the three of them, hands out to the boys and glaring at Rogue. "That is ENOUGH!" I yelled, startling them. "All of you, back off right now before I kick the shit out of all of you!"

"But Angela!" Rogue protested but I shut her up with another glare.

"No buts! You all know I can take you in any kind of fight you want to start, so stand down right this minute."

Remy looked down at me with a smile. "Ah, ma petit chat, don' interfere. Remy has dis under control."

"Number one, Mr. LeBeau, I am not your little cat and you would do well to remember that. Number two, if you don't back off, I will put you through a window." I narrowed my eyes and he took a step back. "I guarantee Charles won't appreciate that in this weather." I turned my gaze to Bobby, who was still slowly but surely icing over. "As for you Drake, you have Danger Room in less than five minutes. You don't want to keep Logan waiting." He gave me a hard look, but his hands relaxed and the ice began to recede. He stared at Remy for another few seconds before turning on his heel and walking out. Rogue went to follow but I grabbed her arm to stop her. "And where do you think you're going?"

"Danger Room." She said, her voice still holding a hint of Logan. "I'm still on Beta team, right?"

"Yes, but I also know that Dr. McCoy hasn't cleared you for it yet."

"But I really need to hit something!" She exclaimed.

"Then hit the books, you have a lot of catching up to do." She tried to stare me down, but that was a battle she lost before she even started. With a little snort of frustration, she spun around and left the lounge in a huff. As soon as she was gone, I turned my full attention to Remy. "Now, Mr. LeBeau. Suppose you tell me just what the hell you were doing?"

"Remy was jus' defendin' himself, me chere." He replied mildly. "Madamoiselle Rogue was showin' Remy around is all."

"Mmm-hmm." I crossed my arms and started tapping my foot. "See, I've known Bobby Drake for a while now and he doesn't lose his temper over something like that. So why don't you tell me what else happened or I'll have Logan get it out of you."

He looked down and shuffled his feet. "Remy jus' told la belle femme that he tinks she is very beautiful."

"And?"

"And nothing! Remy swears on his life."

I stared at him long and hard before uncrossing my arms and taking a step towards him. "I am going to take you at your word, Mr. LeBeau. But I promise you, if I discover that you left anything out of this conversation, you will answer to me personally. And it will be painful." I gave him a curt nod and stalked out of the lounge. I didn't relax until I made it all the way to my room, where I locked the door behind me and sprawled out on the bed. I lay there for a moment before pulling Logan's pillow out and curling up with it, finally able to get my much-needed nap. A heartbeat later, I was fast asleep.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_You rub your eyes and look up at the clock. You've been studying this schematic for over two hours and you still haven't been able to find a weakness in the security system that you can exploit. The op is supposed to go down in three days; if you don't find something soon, it'll have to be aborted and Stryker won't like that one bit. Stifling a yawn, you cross the room to get another cup of coffee in the hope that it'll stimulate your brain enough to find the weakness that you're missing._

_As you lower yourself back in front of the computer, a sudden knock at the door startles you and you spill coffee all over yourself. Cursing loudly, you bark at the person to come in as you look for something to wipe yourself off with. The soldier who enters looks just like all the others on the base, from his close-cropped hair to his spit-shined boots. Still, he looks at you a little warily, knowing that you're one of Stryker's mutant assassins and most of the people on base are more than a little afraid of you. That's just fine with you; if they're afraid, they'll leave you alone and you like it that way. Wordlessly, he holds out a file and you motion for him to just set it on the desk next to the computer. He drops it as though it burns and makes a hasty retreat. You scowl at his retreating back and reach for the folder._

_Much of what's contained in the folder is in Russian, a language you don't happen to speak. However, some of it's in English and what you read in there makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. Near the end of the file is a schematic for what appears to be some kind of robot, specifically designed to hunt down and destroy mutants. There was nothing in the parts that you could read that explained how they could tell the difference between mutants and normal humans, but you assume that's where the Russian assistance comes in. You close the folder, noting that it's labeled "Project Wideawake" as you put it down. You notice something lying on the floor near the door and you cross over there, bending over to retrieve the item. It's a sticky note with the words "Eyes Only" stamped on it and you realize that it must have fallen off the folder when the soldier brought it in. You hastily affix it to the front of the folder and walk out of the lab in search of a project leader._

_A few minutes later, you hand off your burden to a man named Wallace, explaining that it had been brought to the tech lab by mistake. He takes it from you without a glance and you return to your former task, hoping that he didn't notice your nervousness. You know you were not supposed to see that file, but you've never given anyone here at Alkali Lake a reason to suspect you are anything but the perfectly trained and controlled killer they want you to be. It'll be another eight months before they realize how wrong they have always been._

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I woke up slowly, my mind still fixated on the dream I'd just had. I'd never forgotten about the strange file I'd seen that day, but I also never gave it much thought either. After all, Logan and I had killed all of the really important scientists when we escaped from Alkali Lake and there had been more than enough time to get this Project Wideawake off the ground since then. But Stryker had been left alive at the time and with the way things had been going, it wouldn't surprise me if he'd tried to re-launch the project since then. I scrubbed my face and yawned, then set out in search of Buzz.

Not surprisingly, I found him in the computer room plugging away at some project or another. I tapped on the doorframe and he looked up then smiled. "Hey Angela. 'Sup?"

"Nada. Got a question for you." I replied, grabbing a chair and plunking myself down next to him.

"Shoot."

"Did you find anything in the Hudson Bay files about a Project Wideawake?"

"No, not that I remember. Just Weapon X and Project Prodigal, really."

"Damn." I muttered, sliding out the claw on my right thumb and chewing on it. "Well, what about other bases? Other locations where Stryker might have had projects going?"

"Got a few likely candidates." He said and called up a map of North America. "The blue dots are the legitimate military bases. I don't bother with those cuz I figure even Stryker wasn't crazy enough to try and get away with his shit in those places." He clicked an icon on the legend and pointed to the screen. "The red dots are what I suspect are the hidden bases. These three" he pointed out three red x's, "here, here and here are the ones we knew about; Alberta, Hudson Bay and Alkali Lake. The others I suspect because I've been having a damned hard time hacking into their computers."

"And you don't put up that kind of protection unless you have something to hide." I stated.

He nodded. "Exactly. Now, Stryker was U.S. military, but he did all of his dirty work in Canada. Probably cuz there's a lot more remoteness up there than you can find in the states. Nothing like keeping your captives surrounded by snow for more than half the year to keep them captives. So I've been focusing on these five for now." He clicked something else and five of the dots turned white. "Yukon, Northwest Territories, two in Nunavut and one in northern British Columbia. They seem the most likely to me." He turned in his chair to face me. "Why, what's going on?"

"I don't know. Maybe nothing. I hate to rely on something as stupid as a bad dream, but my instincts have never steered me wrong before and I have a feeling that they're trying to tell me something. And if you have any hacker pals in what used to be the Soviet Union that you trust completely, have them poke around and see if they can find anything over there."

"This is bad, isn't it?"

I just nodded and stood up. "Yeah, the worst." I put a hand on his shoulder before making for the door, but paused before I left. "Maybe even a worst case scenario I never thought of. See what you can find."

"You got it."

I walked out and went in search of Logan, suddenly in need of comfort. I will never come out and say that I'm psychic, because it's nothing that I can control. But my mind and my instincts have a way of telling me things sometimes and occasionally, they're so accurate that it's almost scary. Of course, I've been known to be wrong before. I could only hope that this was one of those times.

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**AN:** I'm dispensing with the disclaimer at the top...i'm tired of writing it and i'm sure you all know who does and does not belong to me and how the ones who DO belong to me will behave if you try to play with them...damned antisocial bunch, they are...:) Anyway, Special thanks to Zac and Turiel Tincdaniel, my most excellent beta readers...if you like, you can leave a shout out to Zac in a review or something...he's SUPPOSED to working on a companion piece to these stories about Sam, but i think he's been slacking and not sure that anyone would read it...moving on, Extra Special thanks to DBK(tm) for being so wonderfully supportive in a hyperactive terrier kind of way...:) Super Special thanks to my readers, for sticking with me this long...:) And Super Swanky Special thanks to those who review, because you're proof that someone's reading...so, thanks a million to reeltreble1031, Miss Lover Girl and sela103...and sela, don't let my story distract you from your studies too much:) Good luck in school!

**Now, those of you who haven't reviewed, please take the time to do so...i really DO want to know what you think!**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10.

(Logan)

Angela was completely freaked out about something, but no matter how hard I pressed her, she wouldn't say anything. She did assure me it had nothing to do with the baby, which was a huge relief for me, but she was so distracted all the time that everyone was beginning to notice. Most surprising of all was that Xavier had no idea what she was worrying about so much, which meant she was employing every anti-telepath technique we knew to keep him out. It's not that hard to do, really, when you're a feral like us. We just let the more primitive thoughts of "hunt, mate, kill" take an upper hand and even a telepath as strong as the Professor will have a hard time getting past it.

She was also spending a great deal of her free time closeted away with Buzz. She had him working overtime on something she just called a "special project" and wouldn't give any details on what this project was. The fact that she'd been completely barred from Danger Room sessions by Hank, including overseeing things from the booth, meant that she had free time to spare. At least when we were alone she was still the same Angela I fell in love with, but the public one was getting a little scary. In the space of a couple weeks, she went from easygoing and approachable to a state of hyper-vigilance that made me look positively comatose. Something had her spooked, that's for sure.

In the meantime, the kids were in a state of complete chaos, since regular classes were cancelled and only Beta and Delta had to continue with Danger Room and Delta still had strategy and tactics three days a week. Warren surprised us all by showing up at the Danger Room with Delta team about a week before Christmas, saying he didn't want to decide not to join the team without seeing what it was all about first. Now I'm not positive, but suspected it had something to do with the fact that he'd been spending a lot of time with Chasca's roommate Sofia and she'd been wanting to join the team for some time. I let him join that one time with the understanding that this was just a trial run for him and if he really wanted to join the team, he'd be put on the new Gamma team after the holidays. After that one session, he made up his mind and the first member of Gamma was chosen. The kid did really well in there and I was happy to include him on the new team.

Of course, our other new friend wasn't nearly as popular. Remy had already pissed off all the boys in school before Angela and I got home, but once Rogue woke up he only had eyes for her. Naturally, this made for a very irritable Bobby and I overheard Storm comparing his temperament to mine on more than one occasion. Personally, I thought this was unfair since I didn't think I was that much of a dick, unless One-Eye was around. It didn't help any that Rogue thought Remy was the greatest thing since sliced bread and defended him whenever she and Bobby fought about him. Angela really didn't like the guy and I know she threatened him with bodily harm at least once a day, but this little factoid went right over Marie's head. Usually my woman can find a way to warm up to just about anyone. I mean, she was even friends with Scott, which I will never understand if I live to be a thousand years old. But Remy just rubbed her fur the wrong way for some reason.

For the record, I wasn't crazy about the guy either. I didn't want to gut him or anything, but I couldn't see the two of us going out for beers like Sam, Kurt and I did from time to time. For the most part, I was indifferent about him. A lot of his charm seemed a bit phony to me and I'm sure he was full of shit based on some of the stories he told about growing up on the streets of New Orleans, but I didn't think he was all bad either. I decided to just let the whole thing play out however it would and take it from there.

With the approaching holidays, the unseen serving staff at the mansion transformed the place into something right out of Dickens. Garlands of real evergreen were draped everywhere, wreaths hung in every window and an immense tree was set up in the lounge decorated with ornaments that looked like antique heirlooms. In deference to those who don't worship Santa, a menorah had been set up on the mantle for Sam and Kitty who were both Jewish and there were several wreaths and garlands made of holly and mistletoe that were scattered about for both Angela and Storm. A large Yule log had also been brought in and was waiting for the twenty-first to roll around so they could light it.

I wasn't sure about the whole holiday thing. It had been over fifteen years since I celebrated anything and I was a little uncomfortable with all of it. I'm not precisely an atheist, because I do believe there's a God. I just happen to think he's a complete bastard with a sick sense of humor. There is simply no other explanation for giving someone a mutation that'll make them live for as long as I have, not to mention allowing that same person to have the majority of that life stolen from him by a sadistic motherfucker for his own twisted purposes. Yeah, I'm a little bitter. I hope that if I ever do die, I can have an hour or two with him before I get sent on my way to whatever hell I'm slated for. He's got quite a bit to answer for.

So December passed with someone giving gifts to each other for days on end. Sam gave Angela and I a gorgeous sculpture of the two of us on a motorcycle. Kitty gave me humidor for my cigars and Angela received some maternity tops with clever things written on them. My personal favorite was the one that said "Got MILF?" on it. One-Eye had no idea what that meant and no one was about to explain it to him. I guess you could say that Kitty accidentally gave me another gift, since it was extremely amusing for me to laugh at him every time she wore it.

The twenty-first rolled around and it was Storm and Angela's turn. They lit the log, did some really involved ritual of some sort that was really quite beautiful, then gave out all of their gifts. I won't list what everyone received, but Storm gave Angela and me a gorgeous African wall hanging. Angela gave me a new dog tag that had a picture of her laser etched on it with the words "Yours Forever" on it. I hated to admit that I'd felt naked without my old tag; I'd worn it for fifteen years and as satisfying as it had been to toss it at Stryker's feet, I was used to it. This was the perfect replacement as far as I was concerned. She grinned hugely when I put it on and reached under her shirt and pulled out a tag of her own that had my picture on it and the words "Mine Forever". No arguments here.

Finally, Christmas day arrived and it was time to give the news to Beta team. We'd thrown the official school party on Christmas Eve, another all-day affair in Club Danger Room and the kids had given out their gifts to each other and the staff at that time. Again, I won't bore you with a huge list of the things we all got, but I was unexpectedly touched by their generosity. I mean, I'm the Wolverine and I always thought the kids were a little afraid of me. Maybe they are, but they didn't let it stop them from including me.

We called Beta team into the study right after dinner, which surprised them because they knew that was the adult's time to unwind. We sat them down on the sofa and loveseat and we stood before them. The Professor started the proceedings with a little speech.

"As you know, I started this school so that mutants, especially children, would have a safe haven from the fear and hatred of the world at large." He began. "For more than a decade, I have done my very best to teach you that with great power comes great responsibility. I have watched many of my students go on to do great things, while others have stayed here out of a desire to assist me in my endeavor. In that time, I have also watched as normal humans have come to regard mutants with increasing hostility, while other mutants have come to look upon the ungifted as an obstacle that must be eliminated." He looked at them gravely with a touch of sadness in his eyes and I knew he was thinking of Magneto, who had once been his friend. "It had been my hope that mutants and humans could resolve their differences peacefully, but in spite of what the leaders of the world may think, people in general are still finding us a difficult reality to accept. It is because of this that a line must be drawn, a line that will be used to protect every living person on this planet from harm."

He turned to me and I stepped up, my hands on my hips. "Look, I ain't a fancy speaker like the Professor here, so I'm gonna get right to it. We made the six of you a secondary team of X-Men because you all told the Professor that's what you wanted to do. Now you've all seen some action, been in the thick of it an' it hasn't always ended well." I looked at Rogue when I said that, but she seemed to be holding up so I went on. "So, I'm givin' you this one last chance to change your minds. Bein' an X-Man ain't some glorious thing. It's hard work an' it's dangerous. If you have any doubts, right now is the time to back out. Do you still want to be X-Men?" Not a single one of them hesitated in saying yes. I smiled and turned to Scott who took the floor while Angela, Kurt, Hank, Storm, Sam and I retrieved the packages that were hidden inside the liquor cabinet.

"Then it is my honor to welcome you all to the team, officially." He said, beaming. "From this day forward, you are no longer students, but X-Men. You will still have to participate in the official graduation at the end of the year, but from now on you will be expected to help us teach the students. We'll worry about what you'll each do later, so enjoy your vacation while you can. Also, now that you've officially become X-Men, you are no longer considered the Beta team, but a part of Alpha. After the holidays, we'll meet and go over everything that means. Congratulations."

Kitty and Rogue had tears of happiness running down their cheeks, while Bobby and Kyle were struggling to maintain their dignity. Jubilee just looked shocked and Piotr was as stoic as ever. They finally opened their packages, which contained their new X-Men uniforms. They all followed the same basic design, with slight differences where needed to allow for their mutations. Kyle's had the same kind of gloves and boots that Angela has and it was trimmed in a kind of bronze color. Piotr's had a vest instead of a full jacket and dark red trim. The rest only varied in color for the trim: ice blue for Bobby, lemon yellow for Jubilee, green for Rogue and pink for Kitty. I thought pink was a damn silly color for a superhero uniform, but I'm not the one who has to wear it.

Angela and I only managed to stick around to celebrate for a couple hours before she was too tired to go any longer. We said our goodnights and made our way to our room, where she stripped down and was asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. I sighed and climbed in next to her, pulling her close and kissing the top of her head. Sure, I was disappointed, but Hank had told me that this was common and not to worry. I didn't have the heart to tell him it didn't worry me in the slightest; it just left me frustrated.

I was awakened a few hours later when Angela kicked me in her sleep. Normally, something like that would have gone pretty much unnoticed, except that she had her claws out and raked them all the way down my shin. I was up and out of bed in a flash, claws popped, and I scanned the room for any sign of intruders. It only took me a second or two to determine we were still alone, so I retracted my claws and looked over to the bed. Angela was in the grip of one nasty nightmare by the look of it and I wondered if this is what it looked like when I was dreaming. Her breath came in harsh gasps and she lashed out over and over at something only she could see. I sat down next to her and shook her gently, saying her name, but she didn't wake up. She shouted, "They're coming!" and lashed out again, raking me across the chest. I cursed even as the wounds closed over and gave her a hard shake. "Angela! C'mon tiger, wake up!"

Her eyes snapped open and she looked around for a second before collapsing into my arms. "For fuck's sake, this has got to stop!" She said with a shudder.

"What was it?" I whispered.

She shook her head. "I can't…Logan, I don't want to talk about it, not until I know more."

I clenched my jaw and resisted the urge to snap at her. She was keeping something from me and I didn't like it one bit. "Darlin', whatever it is, you can tell me. You know that."

"I don't want to upset you over something that might not even be real, ok? Just chalk it up to the weird dreams pregnant women have for now."

I was officially over this whole secrecy thing she had going. "Look, I don't care. Somethin's got you freaked, somethin' big an' you ain't helpin' anyone by keepin' it to yourself. So either tell me what it is or I'm sleepin' on the sofa in the study."

She pulled back and glared at me. "You wouldn't."

"Try me." I said, glaring back. "This is the first time _ever_ that you kept somethin' from me and I'm a little pissed about it. No, I'm a lot pissed about it. Hell, even Chuck can't figure it out, which means you're blockin' it on purpose. I don't know why you'd wanna do that, unless it's somethin' you don't want anyone to know." I let her go and stood up. "I don't know what the fuckin' deal is, but if it's somethin' that's a danger to us, then we gotta right to know what it is."

She pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them, shivering. "If I tell you this, you have to promise me you won't tell anyone else." She looked at me gravely. "Not even Charles."

"Darlin', I can't…" I began but she cut me off.

"I'm dead serious! I don't know enough to be sure that it even is a threat." I sighed and dry-washed my face. At that point, I'd take whatever I could get, so I nodded. She motioned for me to sit down again, then told me about the dream she'd had a couple weeks previous, when she remembered seeing the plans for mutant-killing robots called Sentinels. The original schematics were for these huge machines, three stories tall, equipped with all manner of weaponry and other means of disabling or killing our kind. She'd had Buzz looking for evidence that this Project Wideawake was well and truly dead, but he hadn't found anything yet. "And that's it. Nothing to prove it's alive, nothing to prove it's dead. But I keep dreaming about it and I'm sure it's just because I'm paranoid. I can't help it, Logan! What if someone still has the plans for those things and I bring this child into a world where it's only going to be hunted?"

I gathered her into my arms and smoothed her hair, trying my best to comfort her as much as I could. She'd never mentioned anything about these Sentinels to me, not even back in the Bad Old Days. Then again, she didn't speak Russian, so she'd had no idea if the project had gone beyond the planning stages in the first place. I felt her relax in my arms and I lowered her carefully, then stretched out beside her, trying not to think about everything she told me. I had no idea how I was going to keep this from the Professor. I knew he'd never read my mind without permission, but it was going to be hard not to think about this all the time and strong thoughts and emotions are harder for him to ignore.

I rolled over and slipped my arm around my woman, closing my eyes as I breathed in her scent. In a few short months, she would be bringing our child into the world and I wanted everything to be perfect for him or her. But it wouldn't be, not if there was even a chance that these Sentinels could still be in the works. I finally drifted back to sleep and my dreams were full of enormous robots that leveled everything in their path and ate children for fuel.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The New Year came and went and the students who'd gone home returned for the new school year. We'd worked out a new class schedule, including the newly elevated X-Men in the mix. Piotr and Bobby were now the permanent defense teachers for the younger kids, which made me happy as all hell. It's not that I don't like little kids, it's just that I don't have the temperament to handle them for more than about fifteen minutes at a stretch. But the two of them seemed to have infinite patience for the task and I gave up the under twelve crowd gladly. Rogue was now teaching American history from the Civil War to the present, which allowed Storm to focus on World history exclusively. Jubilee surprised us all by volunteering to teach chemistry of all things. She'd always complained that she hated the class, but I think that was mostly because Scott, then Hank, wouldn't let her blow things up on purpose. Hank was happy to give up teaching the subject, as it freed up time for him to spend on his various research projects. Kitty took over teaching computer science from Scott, which gave him time to focus on the classes he liked best, which were math and shop. Kyle rounded out the rest of the staff by taking over the American literature class from the Professor, who still taught physics, Classic literature and ethics, but didn't mind giving up one class to the new teacher. The school was starting to feel like a real school for a change.

A week after the start of the term, we announced the new Gamma team and explained the way the teams would work from now on. Gamma was the first step, the freshman X-Men class for lack of a better term. Anyone fourteen and older who wanted to be an X-Man would be allowed on Gamma team. Depending on their performance, behavior and skill level, they would be advanced to Delta team, then to Beta and eventually to Alpha if they continued to progress and still wanted to be X-Men by then. Angela or I and one other member of Alpha team would personally evaluate each student before they would be advanced to the next team. We told them nothing about the Omega team, since they would only need to know about it if one of them was needed for an Omega mission.

So, the Gamma team consisted of about a dozen students, including Warren, Remy and Sofia. We wanted to get at least four of them trained to advance to Delta team. We'd seen no reason to hold Delta back anymore, so we'd made them into the new Beta team. Except for Kyro and Chasca, they all had the same restrictions as the original Beta team. I had to keep a close eye on Jamie, since he'd taken to sending copies of himself to classes from time to time so he could slack off whenever he wanted to. It didn't matter to me that whatever the copies learned, he would retain as well. I expected the one, true Jamie in my classes and whenever I found out he'd sent a copy instead, he became my instant sparring partner. Many bruises later, he learned his lesson.

Naturally, Angela was a little irritated that Remy was even allowed on Gamma team. But she wasn't around in the defense classes anymore and since Hank had also restricted her from even watching the Danger Room sessions, she didn't see him in there. For all that he was still a great source of annoyance to most of the boys in school (especially Bobby), once a scenario started he was all business. Sure, he had a tendency to keep up a running commentary, but he managed to remain focused on the job at hand and his gift was one of the more useful ones I'd seen. Being able to charge anything he touched and throw it to blow things up was something I could see coming in handy. I really wanted to get some kind of weapon in his hands to see what he could do with it, but the whole blowing up thing was making it difficult to find something. Hank had a theory that something made out of adamantium would be able to withstand the kinetic energy output, but we didn't know where to get any. I decided to keep my eyes open if Buzz found us another base to destroy, just in case they had something lying around.

Near the end of January, Angela got a couple surprises. The first one had to do with the baby. By her reckoning, she was about fourteen weeks along and doing well. But one morning, as she was getting dressed for the day, she started cursing and struggling with her pants. Curious, I poked my head out of the bathroom. "Darlin'? Somethin' wrong?"

"Yes, something's wrong!" She snapped. "None of my pants fit!"

I raised an eyebrow. "Really? Let me see."

"What? No!"

I walked over and looked her over carefully. "Tiger, I think you're startin' to show." I said, lightly stroking her belly.

"Already? I swear, I didn't start showing with Emma for another two or three weeks."

I took her hand and opened the closet, where she'd hung a mirror months before inside one of the doors. "I'm serious darlin'. Take a look." She sighed, but did as I asked. Sure enough, her stomach was extended just the tiniest bit, not quite enough to make it obvious she was pregnant, but definitely enough that she was going to have to rethink her wardrobe. She scowled at her reflection, while I just smiled like an idiot. She would say that it's "kinda creepy", but I'd known for a long time that the difference in her scent was because of the pregnancy. However, this was visual evidence, something I could see and I swelled with pride. "There he is, our little one."

"He could have waited." She replied sourly. "I haven't bought any new clothes."

"Oh, you'll use anythin' for an excuse to shop." I commented and she slapped me. "Don't worry about it right now. There's plenty of sweats around here ya know."

She sighed and grabbed a pair, pulling them on viciously. "Yeah, I know. Doesn't mean I have to like it."

I chuckled and gave her a quick kiss, then let her finish getting herself put together. We'd decided it would be best if I did all the defense classes and Danger Room sessions while she was teaching strategy and tactics, so she wouldn't be tempted to try and disobey Hank's orders. I had Gamma team that day and I'd asked Sam to come and oversee the class with me to help me decide who was going to be advanced to Delta. I wasn't happy that it had remained dormant for this long and I wanted to get it active again as soon as I could. I hadn't said anything to anyone about the Sentinels, but they were always in the back of my mind and I would sleep a lot better knowing there was another full team ready in case we needed it.

So, for the next two hours, we ran them through everything they'd learned in defense over the past month, then activated a mid-level scenario for them to get through. Sam acted as the observer in the booth while I stayed in the room with them in case anything happened they couldn't handle. Of course, it was only set to level five, but they were still pretty new and there's always a chance that something could go wrong. By the time it was over, half of them had been disabled and of the rest, only four of them had performed to the level that I wanted to see in order to advance them. I ended the program and sent the rest to the showers while keeping the new Delta team behind.

I stood before them and considered each of them. Warren stood tall; he was in the best condition out of all of them since he'd been flying above the opposition and managed to avoid the worst of the assault while still managing to do some damage. Remy was also in pretty good condition, since he could blow things up from a pretty good distance. I'd had no idea a regular playing card could travel the distances he could fling them and he was damn good with them. Sofia was also in pretty good shape, although she'd taken a bit of flying shrapnel from one of Remy's explosions when she'd been a little slow reversing a dive. But she'd kept her head and managed to come out of it ok. Since her mutation gave her control over air movement, she'd also been able to toss small pieces of debris at the attackers, distracting them and giving other team members a chance to do some damage. The last one who made it through was Rahne Sinclair. She was a feral mutant, but her gift was closer to Kyro's than Angela's and mine. She could shift into a half-wolf form, but she also had a full wolf form as well. Unfortunately, she didn't get a healing factor along with the feral package, but in her shifted form she still had the heightened vision, hearing and smell that we had. It had taken her some time to get control of her feral instincts while in full wolf form, but her progress was promising and I thought the boost to Delta would do her some good. Sam had agreed and the new Delta team was born.

"Ok kids, I'm sure you're wonderin' why I held you back here." I said, hands on my hips.

"We're not all kids, you know." Warren pointed out. "Some of us are already old enough to be on the main team."

I glared at him. "It ain't a question of age, bub. It's all about what you know and how well you do in here that counts. And if I say you ain't ready, then you ain't ready, period. You want a shot at bein' an X-Man? You do it my way or get the hell outta here." He looked down and I continued. "Now, like I was sayin', I'm sure you wanna know what you're doin' here." They all nodded. "See, it's like this. Gamma team is just where ya start, where I see what ya got and if it's good enough to put you on a team. Well, from what me an' Atlas saw today, you four just might have what it takes, so we're takin' a chance on you. From now on, you're the Delta team." It took a second for it to sink in, but once it did they all let out a cheer and started to congratulate each other. I put up a hand to stop them. "Now, don't be too happy. This means ya have to take the strategy and tactics class now an' you get an extra defense class plus two extra Danger Room sessions a week, including one Saturday a month. If you don't pass strategy, you stay on Delta until you do. Same goes for defense. You'll be learnin' new things to do with your powers. It's a lot of hard work with not a lot of payoff. Delta team won't see a lot of action unless there's an extreme emergency. You prove yourselves, we'll put on Beta. Any questions?"

Sofia raised her hand. "Yeah. Why is there a Delta team if it never goes anywhere?"

"Darlin', who do you think we'll leave in charge around here if the rest of us hafta go somewhere? You'll be the ones we trust to keep everyone here safe, by any means necessary." I gave her a hard look. "And you know what I mean by that." She nodded. "If any of you have a problem with that, tell me now so I can call one of the other kids in here to take your place. Anyone that isn't prepared to do what it takes ain't got no place bein' an X-Man." No one said anything, but I could see they were considering my words carefully. Good. I had no use for anyone that couldn't handle extreme measures in extreme situations. I congratulated them myself and sent them on their way.

It wasn't until much later that night that Angela got her second surprise, but this one wasn't a good one. We were sleeping and she was quite peaceful for a change. Around three in the morning there was a soft knock at the door and we were both instantly awake. No one bothered us at night unless it was important and I cursed softly at the interruption. Angela motioned for me to stay in bed while she pulled on a pair of sweats and went to the door.

When she opened it, I saw Buzz standing there. "Hey Angela." He whispered. "Sorry to wake you, but I thought you'd want to know."

"What is it?" She asked, wrapping her arms around herself. "Something wrong?"

He nodded. "Yeah, you could say that. I found them."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11.

(Angela)

My guts clenched and I broke out in a cold sweat at his words. "The Sentinels?"

Buzz nodded. "Yeah. Come on, I'll show you."

I looked over my shoulder, but Logan was already up and getting dressed. A few minutes later, we were walking into the computer room behind Buzz. He had at least half a dozen machines working, all of them showing something different. He pulled a couple of chairs up on either side of the one he usually used and motioned for us to sit down. I was tense, my insides in a knot and I really wanted to pace, but I took the proffered seat anyway. Logan took the remaining chair and Buzz typed in a series of commands so quickly his fingers were a blur. Instantly, a schematic of the same robot I'd seen over fifteen years ago appeared on the screen with notations in Russian all over it. I sucked in my breath and Buzz looked at me sideways. "This the thing you wanted to find?"

I shook my head. "No, I didn't _want_ to find it, not ever. But it looks like I did." I leaned forward and peered at it closely. "Any idea what that says?" I asked Buzz, but it was Logan who answered.

"Yeah, I do." He said, his brow furrowed in concentration. He pointed to a long note that was scribbled down the left side. "This says here that this is the original plan for the giant Sentinel, the one you saw the plans for before. But it also goes into how it can be scaled down using current technology."

"How current?" I really didn't want to know, but I needed to.

It's not a common occurrence that something can scare Logan enough to make him go pale, but this certainly fit the bill. "Looks like these notes were added about eighteen months ago, so pretty current."

"Nah, not so much." Buzz added. "Computer and robotic technology evolves so fast that what you build today is obsolete next week." Logan scowled at him, but Buzz is one of the few people who wasn't fazed by it. "Hey man, I know what you're getting at here. If they were working on it last summer, then they're probably still working on it, might even have a working prototype by now."

Logan nodded. "Yeah. And if you can build one, you can build a thousand, ten thousand." He took the mouse away from Buzz and scrolled down to the bottom of the schematic where there was a lot more writing. "Looks like they've been workin' with someone in China." He sat bolt upright and stared at me. "In Beijing."

My mind reeled. "That's where Vulture and Demon were last operating, according to the Hudson Bay files."

"But those files were outdated, Ang." Buzz said. "They still had you down as presumed dead, remember?"

"Were you able to pull a time stamp off any of them?" He shook his head. "Damn it. Have you decoded everything?"

"Not yet. I have one cd-rom left to crack, but since I know how they're encoded it shouldn't take me too long."

"Good. Get working on those as soon as you can." I looked around at the other computers. "Anything else to show us?"

"Unfortunately, yes." He said and expertly wheeled his chair over to another machine in one smooth motion. "If you thought that robot was bad, wait til you see this." Logan and I moved our chairs over next to his and he pulled up another schematic. "This is something called a 'Master Mold'. It's a fully automatic, self-sustaining Sentinel factory. And it's mobile."

"So it can build a bunch of those things, drop 'em off and move on to another place and do it all over again." Logan growled. "Fuckin' beautiful." He ran his hands through his hair and another growl rumbled low in his throat. "I don't fuckin' believe this." He looked over at me, still scowling. "You sure you ain't psychic? Secondary mutation or somethin'?"

"I swear it." I replied, clasping my hands to keep them from shaking. "In a hundred and five years, this is only the third time my instincts have been this accurate."

"What were the other times?"

"Nothing I want to talk about right now." He looked at me curiously and I shook my head. "Ask me about it later, when we have less to worry about, ok?"

"Um, guys? I wasn't finished." Buzz said, sounding exasperated. We looked at him expectantly and he cleared his throat. "All right. I got this from a friend near Hong Kong. From what we've been able to find, THIS thing is online."

"WHAT?" I cried, leaping out of my seat. "You're telling me this thing is producing Sentinels right NOW?"

"See, that's the funny thing. It works, but it isn't WORKING. Whoever built it hasn't decided to use it yet. My buddy thinks they're waiting for something."

"Like what?"

He shrugged. "No idea. He's working on hacking their mail server, see if there's anything in there other than internal memos and spam."

"Still, this ain't somethin' we can sit on." Logan said as he also stood. "Darlin', we have to tell the Professor and Scott. Right now."

I nodded and walked over the phone that hung on the wall. Unlike the other phones in the mansion, this one only worked internally. I picked it up and punched in the code for Charles' room and he picked it up almost immediately. I quickly outlined what we'd found and asked him to meet us in the study. He agreed quickly and I repeated the process with Scott. When I was done, I turned back to Buzz. "They want you there, too. You got any of this on disk or something?"

"On my laptop." He replied as he picked it up. "The other machines are still working, trying to track where this thing is and who's responsible for it, so I can't be gone long."

"I'm sure he'll understand. Come on." The three of us hastened to the study, barely beating the Professor and Scott there. Logan was prowling back and forth near the windows, a cigar clamped between his teeth. I was doing much the same in front of the sofa, minus the much-wanted tobacco product. They came in about two minutes later, Scott looking less than happy at being awakened at this ungodly hour. However, once Buzz started explaining the Master Mold and how it worked, he became considerably less whiny. Thank the gods for small blessings.

"Angela, why have you been keeping this from us?" Scott asked, leaning forward on the sofa. "You should have told us."

"Told you what?" I snapped. "That I had a bad dream about something that I saw at Alkali Lake? It's been almost sixteen years, Scott! We killed all the really important scientists when we got out of there."

"How can you be sure? Logan wasn't exactly in the right mind to be choosy about his targets if you told the story accurately."

"No, he wasn't. But I was. And I made damn sure I got anyone who could recreate the bonding process, lab assistants…hell, there wasn't a single person breathing between my room and the back door when we were done. Except Stryker, I couldn't find that bastard."

"Angela, please calm down." Charles said mildly. "Scott isn't accusing you of anything."

"Sure could have fooled me." I muttered.

"I understand why you were reluctant to say anything until you were certain." He continued. "The important thing is that you told us now."

"The real question is, what the hell we gonna do about it?" Logan said, crossing over to me. "We can't just sit here an' hope that thing won't start crankin' out killer robots."

"Agreed." Charles replied. "But we still don't know where it is. Buzz, you said you're still working on that?"

"Yeah, I've got four machines working right now." He said as he gathered up his laptop. "And some of the guys who helped with the underground are on it."

"Is there anything you need to speed up the process?"

Buzz thought for a moment. "Yeah, at least four more computers and some help would be cool. Jubes and Kitty are all right with the computers, but I don't know if they've got what it takes for this kind of search."

"What about Sage?" Logan said and we all turned to him. "Her brain's faster'n any computer. Show her what ya got an' she'll have it analyzed at the speed of thought."

"Logan, sometimes your brilliance is scarier than your temper." Scott said with a smile.

Logan took a step back, one hand clutching his chest in a mocking gesture. "What was that, Cyke? A compliment?"

Scott smirked. "Don't get used to it."

"If you boys are done, I think we all have a lot of work to do." I said, shaking my head.

"Not all of us." Logan said. "You're goin' back to bed, darlin'."

"I will do no such thing!" I exclaimed. "There's too much to do to even consider it!"

"Yeah well, unless you want Hank on your ass for not takin' care of yourself, you'll go right now."

"How's he gonna know?" Logan just looked at me, his eyebrow quirked and his arms crossed over his chest. "You wouldn't."

"Oh yes, I would." He stood there, challenge written on his face. I glared at him and grumbled. "C'mon tiger, you know I'm right."

"I'm pregnant, Logan, not dying."

"Hey Chuck, what's Hank's extension again?" He asked as he made his way over to the phone.

"Oh, fuck you! I'm going!" I shot another glare at him, but went back to our room. I didn't think I'd be able to get back to sleep, but I was more tired than I thought and drifted off not long after my head touched the pillow.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I woke up a few hours later with Logan's arm draped across me. I had no idea when he came back to bed, but I wasn't complaining. I rolled over and snuggled into him and he tightened his grip on me. I couldn't see the clock from where I was, but from the angle of the sunlight streaming into our room I could tell it was much later than I thought. I sighed and extricated myself from my lover's arms.

Half an hour later, I emerged from the bathroom to find the bedroom empty. I glanced at the clock and muttered a curse; I had barely enough time to eat before my first class of the day. I dashed to the kitchen and grabbed a quick bagel with cream cheese and strawberry jam and washed it down with a huge glass of orange juice. I made it to my classroom with two minutes to spare.

It was the first day of strategy and tactics for the new Delta team. I'd been given the class roster, but I wasn't surprised to see that Sage had been added as well. "Good morning class. Welcome to the first day of the last of your free time." Sofia and Rahne grumbled a bit and I smiled. "Yeah, I know. But you were warned that being advanced to Delta team meant more class time, so deal with it."

Sage raised her hand and I nodded to her. "Angela, why am I in here? I wasn't advanced with the team."

"First off, while we're in class, I'd prefer it if you called me Miss Rex, ok?" Everyone nodded. "As to why you're in here, I'm sure you've spoken to Logan and the Professor, yes?"

"Yeah, they said they had a special project they needed me for, but they didn't give me any details."

"You'll get those later when you go talk to Buzz, all right?" She nodded and I turned on the overhead computer display. "Now, you won't be getting a book for this class. Everything you'll be learning in here comes from my personal training." Warren cleared his throat uncomfortably and I looked at him. "Something on your mind, Warren?"

"Well, it's just…some of the kids around here, they say you and Logan were trained as assassins." He said, unable to look me in the eye.

I walked over and leaned against the desk in front of him. "That's true. Does that bother you?"

"Well, I guess I just don't understand what assassination techniques have to do with combat strategy."

"Because our assassin training came later. I was trained as an infiltrator first. But I had to know strategy and tactics for all of it. Or did you think that being an assassin means that I just go in, kill everything in sight and hope I get the right target?" He blushed and looked down at his keyboard. "Logan and I are trained to take on a force that's superior in numbers with just the two of us. That's what you'll be learning in here."

I went back to the overhead display and called up the lesson for the day. "Consider this. There are five of you and you have been called on to rescue two mutants who are being held here." I clicked on the display and it zoomed in on a building, with a black X indicating a room in the basement of the compound. "To all outward appearances, this is a normal office complex. In fact, it belongs to an anti-mutant organization, which plans on using these mutants in an attempt to stage an attack on the surrounding neighborhood. Your intelligence tells you that they've been drugged and are in the process of being brainwashed. One of them is a telekinetic, the other has the ability to manipulate any form of stone." I clicked on the building again and the lobby and first three floors turned blue. "These stories are the front. They appear to be a law office, an architectural firm and the home office for a pharmaceutical company. In reality, everyone who works in these offices are part of the organization." I clicked again and the rest of the building turned red. "These are the offices of the people in charge of the group. The top floor is where the head honcho works." One more click and a series of dots appeared, some of them white, the rest black. "The white dots are considered civilians. For the purposes of this class, a civilian is anyone who is non-combatant, meaning they are not trained to fight. It doesn't mean they won't. The black dots are the people who guard the building from attack."

I turned to the class and hit a button on my computer, which sent the scenario to their individual machines. "Your mission is to go in, rescue the mutants and get back out with a minimum of fuss. In other words, this is supposed to be a covert operation using the entire team. Acceptable losses and other parameters have been sent to your machines. You each work alone on the scenario. There are no right or wrong answers in here, only answers that work better than others. Once you've finished, I'll look over your solutions and we try each of them out in the Danger Room a week from today. Now get to work."

I sat back down and turned off the overhead display, switching to the computer in front of me. Since my machine was hooked into all the others, I could peek at what they were doing without leaving my desk. Ninety minutes later, the clock in the corner chimed and I stood up. "Ok, don't worry if you didn't finish today. You have all week to finish this project. We don't expect you to plan something like this in an hour and a half on your first day. That comes later." I smiled at them as all but Sage groaned. "See you all tomorrow."

I waved them out of the classroom and crossed back to my desk. Not surprised that Sage had completed the scenario, I decided that she would need to come up with a different solution every day and we'd choose one to run from the bunch. Remy had done better than I thought he would, while Warren was trying a tactic that took him all but out of the equation. Sofia and Rahne had made about the same amount of progress, but they were young and not gifted with Sage's computer brain. I still felt pretty confident that they'd do all right in the end.

I was still going through what they'd done when Logan came in. He looked pissed. "Lover, what's wrong?"

"Babies eventually become teenagers, right?" He asked, sitting at one of the desks and propping his feet up. "I mean, there's no such thing as a mutation that'll keep them babies, is there?"

"Not that I've heard of, why?"

"I think I fucked up." I looked at him curiously and he sighed, scrubbing his face. "You know Rogue thinks of me like family, right?" I nodded. "Well, she comes to me all upset, so I asked her what was wrong an' she tells me Bobby broke up with her."

"What? What the hell for?"

"Over Remy, from what I could figure. So, she's all cryin' and I'm tryin' to comfort her an' I told her if Bobby was that stupid that he didn't deserve her an' she could do better."

"All very true. So how did you fuck up?"

"I'm not sure. She started yellin' at me an' told me I didn't get it an' that all men are fuckin' morons. Then she took off."

"Did you go after her?"

"I tried, but she took her glove off and threatened to imprint me into another coma, so I let her go."

"Smart man." I muttered and walked around my desk to stand in front of him. "So what does that have to do with babies becoming teenagers?"

"Well, we're about to have one. And if I can't handle this shit now, what makes me think I'll be able to handle it thirteen years from now?"

I laughed and eased myself into his lap, sliding my arms around his neck before I kissed him softly. "Lover, by the time you have to worry about that, you'll have the whole daddy thing figured out, I promise. Besides, you've done the daddy thing before, remember?"

He nodded and a brief flash of pain went through his eyes. "Yeah, but that ended badly too, remember?"

"But not because of anything you did. It wasn't your fault. You couldn't have known something like that would happen while you were away."

"I shoulda been there, I shoulda been able to save them."

I sighed and pulled him close, resting his head against my breast. "Believe me, I know how that feels. And even though it sucks and it's unfair, everything does happen for a reason. Maybe our reasons were to bring us together and get it all right this time."

He slipped his arms around my waist and nuzzled my neck. "I love you, tiger."

"Love you too, forever." I gave him another kiss, then stood up with a sigh. "All right, I'll go find Rogue and see if I can calm her down. You want to take Bobby?"

"Nah, I saw him off with One-Eye doin' the guy talk thing, so I'll let that go."

"Ok. Do me a favor and finish going over the scenario I gave Delta team today?"

"Sure darlin'." He smiled and I left the classroom in search of Marie.

I found her about forty-five minutes later out by the stream. It was freezing outside, but she was clad only in jeans and a heavy sweater, her arms wrapped around herself. I'd brought an extra jacket with me when I hadn't found her indoors, remembering what I'd been like when I ran off in the middle of winter when I was upset. She didn't turn when I approached her, but she did take the jacket and slip it on, zipping it all the way to her neck. We just stood there for a long time, not saying anything. I figured she'd talk when she was ready. I was right.

"Men are stupid." She said without preamble. I simply nodded and waited for her to continue. "I mean, they are really, REALLY stupid."

"No arguments here." I replied. The breeze picked up a little and a few flurries began to fall. I heard her sniffle, so I turned to her and wrapped my arms around her. She collapsed into my arms and her shoulders shook as she wept quietly. After a few minutes, she pulled away a little and I produced a tissue from my coat pocket.

"Thanks." She said, accepting it gratefully.

I smoothed the hair away from her forehead with my gloved hand. "Wanna tell me what happened?"

She nodded. "I was just talkin' to Remy about the strategy class, you know? I mean, I wasn't gonna give the answer or nothin', cuz I know you change things for each class so it's not like I would know anyway. But Bobby overheard me and he took me aside and said it wasn't fair for me to help him if I didn't help everyone else too. I tried to explain that I wasn't givin' him the solution, just explainin' how you expect things done in there and he said the only reason I was bein' so helpful was because it was Remy."

I bit my lip to keep from bad-mouthing the charming Cajun. I didn't like him, but I couldn't let my personal feelings get in the way here. "So what happened then?"

"Well, you know Remy. He tried to defend me and Bobby told him to back off. I told him to leave Remy out of it, that this was between me and him, but he just got pissed off and said I was takin' Remy's side."

"Were you?"

"No, not really. I just think Bobby's been jealous cuz Remy's always so nice to me and stuff. I told him Remy's nice to all the girls, but he didn't wanna hear it."

"He does seem to be a little taken with you, in case you haven't noticed."

"I know. But Bobby wasn't like this when John had a crush on me too."

"But John and Bobby were best friends. He didn't want to lose his friend over something like a crush. Remy's something new and different, something he doesn't know how to react to."

"Yeah, I s'pose you're right." She sniffled again and I produced another tissue. "Thanks."

"No problem." I shoved my hands in my pockets and shivered a little. "So then what?"

"Then Bobby yelled at me, told me that he didn't want me talkin' to Remy anymore. I told him he couldn't tell me who to be friends with and I'd talk to Remy if I want to. And that's when he said if I liked Remy so much, just go be with him cuz he didn't want to deal with me goin' behind his back anymore."

She broke down into fresh sobs and I wrapped my arms around her again. I knew she didn't want to hear a lecture about the fragility of the male ego, so I just gave her what comfort I could until she'd cried herself out again. I offered her another tissue and she took it. "Well Marie, looks like you have a decision to make."

"What's that?" She asked, still sniffling.

"Well, on the one hand, you have Bobby, who you've been going out with for some time now. But how do you feel about Remy?"

"I don't know!" She cried. "I mean, he makes me laugh, he's polite as can be and full of charm. And he kinda reminds me of home." She sighed. "I just don't know."

"Do you love Bobby?" She shrugged. "Marie, that's not supposed to be a trick question. What does your gut tell you?"

"If you're askin' if he makes me feel all fluttery inside, then the answer's no."

"Then maybe it's not so bad that this happened now instead of later. I know it hurts, it always does when someone you care about leaves you. But caring isn't the same as loving, no matter how close they are."

She nodded and sighed and the wind picked up again. Night was falling fast and the temperature had dropped considerably from when I first went out there. "Thanks Angela. I don't feel better, not yet, but this still helped."

"I know sweetheart. There's nothing I can say to make it better. But maybe if you go talk to Bobby, you can save the friendship."

"All right." We turned and made our way back to the mansion.

By the time we made it to the back doors, it had become the beginning of a real blizzard. I shook the snow from my hair and boots and pulled off my gloves, then went to stand by the fire to thaw out. Logan joined me a few minutes later. "So, how'd it go?"

"She'll be all right, even if I do have a bad feeling that she'll be dating Remy before spring." I replied, rolling my eyes at the last.

"I saw her and Popsicle talkin' in the lounge. Your idea?"

"Yeah. I figured if she could save the friendship, it'd be worth it to both of them, make it a little easier."

"Too bad they can't settle things the way we do."

I chuckled. "What, beating the shit out of each other, followed by incredible sex?"

"Works for us."

"Yeah, but it's difficult to hurt us for long." I pointed out.

"True." He nuzzled my neck, his sideburns tickling my cheeks. "So, wanna pretend we just had a huge fight an' we're past the ass kickin' part?"

I looked at him with glittering eyes. "Sounds good to me."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I was wrong about one thing. It didn't take nearly until spring for Rogue and Remy to hook up. Although, given the circumstances, I wasn't too surprised with the way it happened. Logan had tapped Rogue to assist with Delta for a Danger Room session in the first week of February. Except for me, each member of Alpha took turns doing the job I used to do, which was supervising the session from the inside. Logan had them running one of the countless scenarios that take place in a busy urban setting, where collateral damage is likely to happen. These exercises are designed to help them learn how to minimize that damage. I didn't learn about the entire situation with Rogue and Remy until afterwards, when Logan showed me the video capture of the session.

At any rate, Rogue was there as the in-room observer, only lending a hand if someone got into a particularly sticky situation. Otherwise, she stayed pretty well out of it. Warren and Sofia (who were now going by Angel and Wind Dancer, respectively) were flying overhead and using their aerial advantage to great effect. Rahne (who had chosen "Wolfsbane" as her code name) was shifted into her half-wolf form and keeping several of the assailants occupied while Remy (who now had the code name "Gambit") used his power to take out enemy transports and coerce them out of their cover. In the meantime, Sage had analyzed the situation at a glance and was already well on her way to the objective, which was a pair of mutant children who'd been trapped by the angry mob the rest were taking care of.

Rogue was used to the chaos of the Danger Room and how real everything in there could be, but it didn't stop her from reacting instinctively when a Molotov cocktail was lobbed at Remy from behind. She made a beautiful flying tackle and knocked him out of the way a split second before the bottle of burning fuel would have hit him. Not thinking, Remy had reached up with his bare hand and stroked her cheek. "Tank you, ma chere." He'd said, resting his palm on her face. She went to pull back, but stopped herself short. His hand stayed on her face and NOTHING HAPPENED. A few seconds later, Logan noticed what was going on, ended the program and rushed into the Danger Room to check on Remy. Imagine his surprise when he found the two of them just standing there, his hand on her face and tears streaming down her cheeks.

Rogue looked over Remy's shoulder and saw Logan standing there, mouth gaping. "Logan! He can touch me! Someone can touch me!" Logan shook his head and barked out the command that cut the video capture.

I sat back in my chair in the observation room and looked at Logan. "Huh. That's certainly interesting." I said.

"Tell me about it." He replied dryly. "An' all I could do was stand there like a damn fool and stare. I didn't know if I should be happy or pound the Cajun to a pulp."

"So, do we know why he can touch her?"

"Best thing Hank's come up with is it's got to do with his mutation. It's like he's got this constant field o' energy all around him, same energy he uses to charge those cards o' his. Rogue's mutation draws off of that, but since he's constantly generatin' it…"

"She can draw off of it all she wants and they cancel each other out." Logan nodded and I cursed softly. "You know what this means, right?"

"Yeah. Means I hafta go make sure he understands that if he hurts her, he's gotta deal with me."

"I so hope I have a boy. I shudder to think what'll happen to you if we have a daughter." He chuckled, then leaned over and kissed me. "Well, I guess I have to go talk to her now." I said and stood up.

"What for?" He asked, looking confused.

"Give her my blessing. Everyone knows I can't stand the guy, but I know she'll want to know that I'm ok with this." I laid my hand on his face, caressing his cheek with my thumb. "No one should have to live without touch."

He turned into my palm and kissed it. "You are goin' to be the most amazin' mom ever."

"Remember you said that when I let our daughter go on her first date."

He growled playfully and I just laughed and went in search of Rogue. I meant what I said, about touching. It's a basic human need and I'd always felt so bad for Marie because of her mutation. It was the first time I'd ever felt bad for someone because of their gift. I've known mutants who thought of their power as a curse, but in Rogue's case it was very close to being true. But she'd found someone she couldn't hurt and I couldn't help but be happy for her. It was one of the few bright spots we had for the rest of the winter.


	12. Interlude and Chapter 12

Interlude: The Shifting of Power

**_Los Angeles:_** _The Presidential visit had gone rather well, all things considered. A minor earthquake made things a little exciting for a day or two, but otherwise everything went off without a hitch. Now, a thunderstorm was brewing just off the coast, a rare occurrence in southern California, but for all involved it was just one more bit of unexpected excitement to an already eventful trip. Alicia Vargas stood just to the left of the President, a position she'd enjoyed since that day last spring when everyone had fallen victim to some kind of massive attack. Human nature being what it is, they'd blamed the mutants and in a way, they hadn't been wrong. But they also hadn't been right, either._

_Charles Xavier had mysteriously shown up in the Presidents office the next day, with a sheaf of files he'd somehow gotten from William Stryker's private offices. Two days later, he'd again met with the President to give him a full accounting of what had really happened with that whole incident, an incident that had a more widespread effect than he'd known at the time. After all, had it not been for what he'd been forced to do, Alicia would have never known she was a mutant._

_It was a secret known only to a very few people; the President, Vice President and the head of the Secret Service the only ones who'd been told. However, her fierce determination to protect the President when he was afflicted had earned her current appointment and the President wouldn't hear anything against her. When all others had fallen she'd done her duty and protected him. That, more than anything else, had convinced him that maybe, just maybe, not all mutants were bad._

_So now she was standing here with the President as he made his final goodbyes, waving to the crowd as a hundred cameras flashed, hoping to get a good shot of him before he left for his next stop. Finally, he turned to the stairs that would take him into Air Force One and they were on their way. The jet took off without any trouble, heading straight over the Pacific before the pilot turned it back towards the mainland._

_Later, they would say it was a one in a million chance, the kind of thing that can happen to any airplane but almost never does. Extensive interviews of the ground crew were conducted and it would be concluded that no one had infiltrated the crew for the purposes of sabotage. Once the black box was retrieved and analyzed, it was determined that it was exactly what it looked like, a freak accident. A seagull sucked into one engine, burning it out almost immediately. That would have been fine, they were close enough to make an emergency landing and the black box indicated that was just what the pilot was in the process of requesting. But when lightning hit the plane a few seconds later, there was little they could do._

_All the spectators saw from the ground was the vessel carrying their leader plunging into the ocean, their terrified screams echoing across the expanse of the airport. Human nature being what it is, they blamed the mutants. In this case, they were dead wrong._

**_Dallas, Texas:_** _The Vice President made his way through the crowd, smiling and waving as he left the stadium. He'd made sure his itinerary included a stop here so he could watch his favorite team play. After all, it made for good PR and it gave him a few hours respite from his day-to-day duties. He finally made it to his limousine and with another casual wave, he sat down heavily in the back seat. An assistant handed him an ice-cold ginger ale, his favorite drink, and he sipped it as the massive car pulled away from the stadium. The motorcade that surrounded him was a necessary evil, he knew that, but it still made him uncomfortable. It almost seemed counterproductive to him, since it really did nothing more than draw attention to the fact the person in this limo is REALLY IMPORTANT. Might as well paint a bull's-eye on top of the car, as far as he was concerned. Still, it was protocol and he dealt with it._

_Later, they would determine it was an accident, the kind of thing that you read about in the paper every day and dismiss as soon as you're done with the story. Extensive interviews of eyewitnesses would indicate that there was no malicious intent. Inspection of the wreckage would show mechanical failure to the brake lines, while the driver's autopsy would show a blood alcohol level of almost twice the legal limit, as well as traces of crystal meth. In fact, it was speculated that the Vice President didn't suffer, that he was killed instantly when the semi crashed through a barricade and hit the limo so hard it was almost folded in half. Human nature being what it is, they blamed the mutants. In this case also, they were dead wrong._

**_Washington D.C.:_** _In the wee hours of the morning, telephones were ringing all over the place, informing those who needed to know about the tragedy that had befallen the nation. For the first time in recorded history, both the President and Vice President had been killed within hours of one another. According to United States law, the Presidency now belonged to the Speaker of the House. His personal assistant woke him from a deep slumber to inform him of the incident. Although he was deeply grieved by the loss, he also knew there was far too much to do in the few hours before daylight to take the time to grieve. He would do that later, in private, after things had settled down a bit more._

_A few days later, after the swearing in and an address to the nation, he sat down with the initial reports on the accidents. Human nature being what it is, they were blaming the mutants. The new President sat back in his chair and smiled._

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chapter 12

(Logan)

It's a damn good thing Delta team was progressing as nicely as they were, because February brought us more surprises than any of us could have expected. I'll start with the happy ones and work my way down.

Angela hit the eighteenth week of pregnancy and her obstetrician, a Dr. Karen Owens, insisted she have another ultrasound. Hank had given her one weeks ago, but there hadn't been much to see. Now, the baby would be more baby-shaped and I was eager to have a look at him. Or her. Or (God forbid) them. We lucked out; there was only one baby in there. Angela was relieved, but I was a little disappointed. I wouldn't have minded two in the least. She just glared at me when I said that. Dr. Owens asked if we wanted to what sex the baby was and we both said no. We wanted to be surprised and the doctor just smiled and took a couple pictures for us. I proceeded to drive everyone crazy showing it off for the next few days, but they indulged me, especially the kids. Impending fatherhood had mellowed me quite a bit and they would do anything to keep me that way.

Rogue and Remy continued to enjoy each other's company, much to Angela's dismay. She was still happy as hell that Rogue could touch someone, don't get me wrong, but she would have preferred that someone be anyone that wasn't Remy. The Cajun didn't do anything to make himself less annoying to my woman and still had a habit of calling her "ma petit chat". I'd had to hold her back from clawing the shit out of him on more than one occasion for that, but the real clincher was when Hank caught her making a try for it. He threatened to lock her in one of the secure rooms in the infirmary until she gave birth if she didn't behave herself, but she did as he asked and instead plotted revenge on Remy in dozens of very colorful and painful-sounding ways.

We still had kids coming in through the underground, but now we had more parents bringing their kids personally. I wouldn't call it abandonment, but there were several we never heard from again, or only on very rare occasions. The youngest was a pair of twins, barely seven years old, who had complimentary mutations that had manifested early. The older one (by four minutes as he was always quick to point out), Seth, could transmute any solid into a metal that was as hard as steel. The effect was temporary, only lasting an hour or so, but that was more than enough time for it to be extremely useful. His brother Simon could manipulate metal, but not like Magneto. As he put it, he could simply "tell the metal what to do". Add to that their subtle telepathic twins bond and the two of them were going to be powerful indeed.

In the meantime, the school continued on with its daily routine. Delta team was making good progress in both defense and strategy, with Sage being the one who was the best at the latter. Angela had taken to giving her extra assignments for each scenario just to keep her busy for a few extra minutes in class. The rest of the class was performing to our expectations and we both felt pretty good about the choices we'd made. Which was a good thing because near the end of the month, tragedy struck the nation. Both the President and the Vice President were killed just hours apart in completely unrelated accidents. According to the law, the former Speaker of the House was sworn in as the new President and within days of that ceremony the world went to hell.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I thought all the reports on the incidents indicated that they were nothing more than accidents." Sam was saying just after a news bulletin that shocked us all. "How can he justify this action?"

"I don't know, Sam." Xavier replied, his face stony. "But I intend to find out."

Classes were cancelled for the rest of the day after the report. The new leader of the western world had issued a presidential order just hours before that required all mutants that had been in the area of Los Angeles or Dallas to present themselves for questioning by the FBI in regards to the accidents. The talking head that gave the report said there were rumors that mutants had been behind both incidents. The reporter also said that the Mutant Registration Act was being reintroduced, something we all thought was dead in the water ever since Senator Kelly had died and Mystique had taken his place. She might be an evil bitch, but she'd done some good by impersonating the dead Senator. I still thought she needed a good killing someday, but that would have to wait. We had bigger things to worry about.

"Professor, what are we going to do?" Kyle asked, looking worried.

"For right now, there isn't much we can do." The Professor replied. "My very first concern is for the safety of this school. Much as I would like to run to the aid of every mutant in distress, I realize that's not always possible. I'll talk to Buzz later and have him send a coded message to the safe houses in those areas. I think it would be best if they evacuated as soon as possible."

"But vhere vill they go?" Asked Kurt from his perch atop a bookcase.

"They'll have to go to other safe houses. There are plenty of normal humans involved in the underground that they should be able to move with a minimum of fuss." He sighed and for the first time since I've known him, he looked tired. "I will also suggest that all children be sent here. This is the safest place for them and I will not see children subjected to the mercies of the federal government."

"How many people can we hold?" Rogue piped in. "Realistically, I mean."

"That's the real question." Storm said, leaning forward on the couch. "We already put students four to a room as it is to save space. But we're bound to get whole families who won't want to be separated and that's where we'll start running into trouble."

"I agree." Charles said. "We could probably house around a hundred and fifty, if we can get the third floor and attic rooms converted."

"And that doesn't even begin to help the people overseas." Angela said and all eyes turned to her. "What, you think just because our President isn't their leader that they'll ignore what's happened? Like it or not, the good old U.S. of A has pretty much always set the tone for mutant policy in the world. This is going to get really ugly really fast."

"How do you mean?" Scott asked.

Angela rolled her eyes and ran her fingers through her hair. "I shouldn't have to spell it out for you, Scott." She held up a finger. "Number one, Magneto is gonna be all over this, saying it's the first step to herding us all into camps and exterminating us or worse."

"What could possibly be worse than death?"

"Are you really this dense or is it just a front you put up so people will underestimate you?" She asked him and he turned to her with an angry expression. "Slavery, Scott. Do you think Logan and I got paid for our time as Stryker's pet assassins? We were slaves. Well kept and comparatively pampered slaves, but slaves nonetheless."

"You don't actually believe that, do you? We're human beings!"

She looked at me and I took over for her. "Get your head outta your ass Cyke and think for a minute." I snapped. "What if they pass a law definin' what qualifies as human and X gene positive ain't on the list? 'Human rights' won't apply to us anymore." His jaw clenched and glared at him. "What was it that Lincoln said? 'All men are created equal'? Well guess what, bub. We're livin' proof that they ain't."

"What? Of course we are! We just have an extra gene that gives us certain abilities…"

"Don't go spoutin' that crap to me. Powers, Cyke. We have _powers_. And nothin' you or Chuck says is gonna change that. Yeah, it's an accident of genetics, like bein' born an albino or a midget or whatever. But they ain't blamin' midgets on these accidents, they're blamin' us cuz we have the powers to do it."

"He's right, Scott." Xavier added. "I have always taught you and all of my students that your powers are no more than special abilities, no different than being able to paint or play the piano. In a lot ways, that is true, but it's also true that others do not see our gifts that way. Many of us have abilities they cannot begin to comprehend and that frightens people." He sighed and rubbed his forehead before turning to Angela. "I believe you had more to add, my dear."

She nodded. "Magneto will be a problem, but whether that's sooner or later is in his court. We can't worry about him unless he makes a move." She turned to the window and wrapped her arms around herself. "So, number two. There are still at least four active Weapon X operatives out there and at least two of them were last seen in North America. I don't think I have to remind you how hard it was for all of you to pass the worst-case scenario downstairs." Bobby paled and looked down. "What chance do you think some of our safe houses have if even one of them showed up? Or, gods forbid, all four of them show up here?"

"Would they do that?" Jubilee asked. "I mean, they're mutants too, right?

"Yes, they are, mutants like me, Logan and Kyro. But we got away and broke the conditioning they put in us. Those active operatives are still under their control and they'll probably be told they're saving the world or some other line of bullshit." Jubilee snapped her mouth shut and Angela went on. "But the part that has me the most worried are the Sentinels. With this new guy in office, he could greenlight that program and it won't be a question of if he'll try to exterminate us, but when."

The whole room fell silent, no one wanting to voice their fears. Bad enough that Magneto would more than likely spring something in response to this new threat. Even worse that the worst-case scenario might be doubled. Giant mutant killing robots? Might as well lay down and wait for them to come. Except, of course, Angela and I are far too stubborn to go quietly.

"Darlin', with all due respect, fuck that." I said, standing up. "Those things ain't online yet. I say we go lookin' for that Master Mold and shut it down before they are."

"Has Buzz found where it's being kept yet?" Bobby asked.

Angela shook her head. "Not yet. But something that big won't be easy to keep hidden. We do know that it's online, just not producing Sentinels yet. Self-sustaining or not, it'll need a lot of energy to do what it does. He's working on hacking into an infrared satellite to see if he can find it that way."

Scott cleared his throat and shuffled his feet. "Um, isn't that a little risky?"

"No more than being a mutant today." She replied dryly. "He's a hacker Scott and between him and his friends, he's the best chance we have right now of finding this thing. It's either that or let Logan and Kyro break into a military base and start interrogating people."

"I don't think that would a wise idea, Angela." Xavier said. "Right now, we just have to wait and see what happens next. We'll deal with this one step at a time." We all nodded and he dismissed everyone, but held me back. "Logan, as soon as Buzz finds the Master Mold, I'm giving serious to thought to assembling Omega team."

I nodded. "Kinda figured you would."

"I don't have to tell you that you'd be leading that mission, I'm sure."

"Guess that means you won't be sendin' One-Eye then."

He shook his head. "Something as important as the Master Mold will most likely be heavily guarded and as we both know, Scott is still too reluctant to do what will need to be done in that case."

I stared at him in shock. "Charles, anyone guardin' that thing is just followin' orders, ya know."

"I know. But as much as I hate to admit it, Erik was right about one thing. The war has begun. I will still try my best to work out a peaceful resolution between mutants and humans, but I won't let that stop us from doing what's necessary." He looked at me and a little of his old humor was back in his eyes. "I don't have to tell you that I do expect you to ask them to surrender before you start killing them."

I chuckled. "No, you don't." The clock in the corner chimed and I made a quick decision. "I'm uncancellin' the Danger Room session for Delta team. In fact, I think I'll double the sessions til this whole thing is over."

"A wise decision." He glided over to the window and looked out over the snowy landscape. "Teach them well, Logan."

"I will." I started out of the study but paused at the door. "Don't worry, Chuck. We'll make it."

"I hope you're right."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Later that day, I stopped in to check on Angela after the strategy class for Beta team. I watched her from the doorway for a little while as she paged through the solutions the kids had come up with for the days' scenario, whatever it had been. After a few minutes, she scowled at the computer and turned it off. She leaned back in the chair with a sigh and I took that as my cue to go in. "Hey tiger. Rough day?"

She managed a weak smile. "Yeah, you could say that." She replied. "It's not every day we get a racist asshole in the Oval Office, you know." I pulled up an extra chair and sat next to her. I could smell the anxiety coming off of her and I reached over to stroke her hair. She leaned into my hand and purred. "Mm, that's nice."

"So we got killer robots on one side an' a hysterical politician on the other." I grunted. "Just when I thought the world couldn't get any more fucked up."

"You can always count on people to be ignorant." She said bitterly. "It's the Salem Witch Trials all over again."

"Yeah, I know. Just wait til they try to hang us for bein' mutants. At least it'll be funny to see their faces when you come back the next day an' take 'em out."

"Won't happen. We won't _let_ it happen." She sighed and leaned her head on my shoulder. "Where's the brilliant insight when I need it?"

"Ya know, I've been meanin' to ask you 'bout that." I said and she sat up. "You told me back when Buzz first found the Sentinels that you'd had flashes before that turned out to be right. When was that?"

She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. "A long time ago, back before Alkali Lake. I was pregnant with Emma and I kept dreaming about people breaking into the house, dragging me into the street and throwing rocks and beating me as they chased me out of town. The odd thing is, that actually happened to me once in the fifties, a really small town in South Carolina. That was right after information about mutants was being released to the public. I don't know how they found out, but they did. Anyway, I thought I was just being paranoid, you know? I was pregnant and alone, no one to protect me. I mean, I wasn't helpless, but I wasn't nearly as good of a fighter as I am now." She shook her head sadly. "About three weeks later, I was dozing on the couch when I heard a noise in the yard. I looked out and there was this crowd in my yard, my neighbors and people I worked with. One of them threw a rock through the window and they all started yelling for me to get the hell out of here, filthy mutie, the whole nine yards."

"Jesus darlin'! I had no idea. How come you never told me?"

"It was a long time ago, Logan. And they didn't actually get to me. I snuck out a window on the second floor, jumped roofs to the end of the block and just left town. That was the last time I lived anywhere that had less than fifty thousand people."

"So what was the other time it happened?"

"That was right before I had Emma, maybe a week or so. I'd been living in Ontario after I left the other town, living off money I'd stashed there in the twenties the first time I went to Canada."

"Just how much money do you have?" I asked, curious for the first time.

She shrugged. "No idea. I always saved as much as I could, stuck it in banks all over the place. I never closed any of the accounts, just let them gain interest all these years. If I wound up somewhere that had a branch where I had an account, I'd just use that to live on til I could find a job, then keep depositing." She gave me a half smile. "But we weren't talking about my money, lover."

"Sorry. Go on."

"Anyway, I was in Ontario and again, I kept having these awful dreams, only these were me getting in a car accident and getting stuck in it. The car caught fire and exploded before I could get out. Just like before, it was something that actually happened to me, only I had barely managed to get out of the car the last time. I still got thrown by the blast into an oncoming pickup and woke up the next day in a morgue. That was in the seventies."

"So what happened?"

"Well, I was supposed to go shopping with this one chick I worked with, but I was feeling really tired and backed out at the last minute. She lived across the street from me and for some reason, her car wouldn't start so I let her use mine." She clenched her jaw and a tear slid down her cheek. "She died when she hit an icy patch on the road, slammed a bridge abutment and got trapped in the car, which caught fire and exploded." She shivered again and looked at me. "And now, giant killer robots, which I accidentally saw the plans for back at Alkali Lake."

Something about her story was tickling the back of my mind. "And those both happened while you were pregnant, right?" She nodded. "Darlin', what were Emma's mutations? Do you know?"

"Uh, yeah I do actually. Buzz found that on the last disc from Hudson Bay and gave me the printout this morning." She rifled through a stack of papers until she found what she wanted. "I haven't actually had a chance to look at this, but hey." She skimmed the paper, then grew pale. "Logan, it says here she had heightened senses but no healing factor…and precognition." Her hands shook as she handed the printout to me. "Lover, what does this mean?"

"I dunno. But I'll bet Blue could help us figure it out." She looked at me and I wrapped my arms around her. "We'll ask him later, ok?" She nodded and I kissed the top of her head. I might not have a degree in anything except killing, but I am more than smart enough to figure some things out. If I was right, then it was possible her brilliant insight wasn't hers at all.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Beta, Delta and Gamma team were not happy with the extra Danger Room sessions, but I could feel time slipping away from us. February turned to March and the best news we had was that the safe houses in the L.A. and Dallas areas had been evacuated without incident. A few days after they were empty, there wasn't a mutant to be found in either region, even those who could pass as human and had done so for years. Hollywood was shocked when a few celebrities went mysteriously missing after the crash of Air Force One. Xavier eventually found them with Cerebro, hiding out in small retreats that had been kept secret from the world at large. Thanks to Buzz and his hacking skill, we sent them messages that were carefully worded in case they were intercepted, inviting them to the mansion any time they wanted to come. All were politely declined, but all agreed they would come if they felt it was necessary.

We also doubled the patrols at night and added outdoor security as well. Bobby and Storm were the ones who did most of the outdoor patrol, since neither one of them were affected by the cold, although Rahne took a shift now and then using her full wolf form. Hank also took the occasional shift, his own fur keeping him plenty warm. Angela took a night shift at least three times a week in the security office; I know she was thinking back to when I'd been taken from the mansion with such ease and she was unsettled by the thought that it could be someone else next time. I missed her on those nights and joined her more often than not, although it was all business in there. She'd never forgive either of us if something happened while we were fooling around on the clock.

One thing that did amaze both of us was the way the younger kids were throwing themselves into their defense and gift lessons. Even those who didn't have what seemed to be a combat-worthy power were finding new ways to use them. There was one girl who could control the growth of plants who had progressed to the point where she could cause something as simple as grass to entangle an opponent to near-immobility. We had another girl with a power that was similar to Kitty's, except that she could phase everything except herself. She got such fine control over her power that it was impossible to hit her with anything from a bullet to a Mack truck. Even Josh, who had always hated the idea of hurting people, discovered that he could use his power to cause great harm to an opponent. He hated to do it, but told me that if he were faced with hurting someone who was trying to hurt us, he'd do it and not think twice. If only One-Eye could get that through his head.

Even in the Danger Room against virtual opponents, he wouldn't open up his visor to killing strength. I know he was holding on to the idea that this would all blow over, that a peaceful solution could be found. Nothing that Kyro, Angela or I said to him could convince him otherwise and we tried. There were reports on the news every day about violence against mutants that had been living secretly amongst normal humans, sometimes for decades, but he still held on to the belief that it "won't happen here". Must be nice to have such a Pollyanna view on things. I know better than that.

Finally, around mid-March, the weather started to turn along with the political climate. The President issued another order stating that all currently active military personnel were to report to their bases' medical facilities for testing for the X gene. Anyone found to be X factor positive, whether an active mutant or not, were being dishonorably discharged. The ACLU had a field day with that one, saying that just carrying the gene but having no powers was not a good enough reason to discharge those men and women. They said nothing about active mutants, but I think it was more out of fear than any real belief that it was all right to discharge them. Eventually, the non-active X gene carriers were reinstated, but the damage had already been done and over the months following the order, more people went AWOL than ever before. Many of them disappeared, never to be seen again. Whether they went into hiding or were captured, we never knew in most cases. Some went to the safe houses, having heard of the underground but since they were on active duty, not being able to get to them. By the end of March, the safe houses near the bigger cities each had at least one military-trained mutant in residence. Of the rest, some eventually surfaced in other countries. And some showed up at the mansion.

Piotr, Kitty and I were running Beta team through a new scenario that Buzz had come up with that included the Sentinels. Having carefully gone over all the Russian notes in the schematics, we'd finally figured out their weapon capabilities and how they detected mutation, which is really complicated and I'm not getting into it here. But Buzz had spent about a half a dozen sleepless nights programming the scenario and it was our first time going through it. The biggest surprise of the team was actually Jamie, who simply made so many copies of himself that the Sentinels couldn't track them all, allowing the rest of the team to devise ways to take them out. However, that wasn't as easy as it sounds. Most of the wiring in the damn things was fiber optic, so Bedlam had a hell of a time shorting them out. Hellion was able to use his telekinesis to protect himself and members of the team by creating a barrier, but the Sentinels also had some way of adapting to powers and he was unable to use it more than once before they were able to block him. Kitty phased into one and completely fucked it up from the inside out, but that's the only chance she got before they saw her as the biggest threat and disabled her to get her out of the equation. Davey tried frying them from the inside out, but they adapted to him so quickly he was all but useless. Chasca's sword wasn't enough to do any damage to them and her echolocation attack only works on living people sensitive enough to hear it. Kyro was also at a loss, since he didn't have any means of damaging them. Finally getting frustrated, I had Piotr chuck me at one and I cut it into little pieces with my claws. Besides the fact that they couldn't adapt to the adamantium, it was fun as all hell and we dubbed the move the "Fastball Special". I was already thinking of other uses for it when the scenario stopped before it was over.

"What the fuck's goin' on here?" I shouted as the walls morphed back to their usual polished steel.

"Nice to see you too, lover." I heard Angela say with a touch of annoyance. "You, Piotr and Kitty need to get showered and up to the study. We have some new recruits."

"Dahell you talkin' about? We didn't get any word from the safe houses."

"They're not from the underground. It's a long story. Just get your ass up here." Before I could answer, she cut the intercom and I saw her leave the observation booth.

I cursed softly. "All right then, class dismissed." Julian, Jamie, Jesse and Davey all left and I turned to the others. "You heard the lady, let's go."

"You do know Angela would kick your ass if she heard you call her a lady, right?" Kitty asked as we walked out.

"Nah, Hank would have her hide if she tried to fight anyone at this point." I replied with a smirk. "I'm safe for at least another thirteen weeks, eighteen if I'm lucky."

"She'll just save it up and get you later." Piotr said helpfully and I glared at him. He just laughed and went to get his shower. Kitty went to the women's side, giggling and I growled. There were days I wondered why I put up with this shit. Then I would think about my woman's growing belly and I stopped my grumbling.

Twenty minutes later, the three of us walked into the study and were greeted by the Professor, Scott and Angela, who were talking to two men and a woman I'd never seen before. Before I could ask who they were, the door opened behind me and Sam walked in. He took two steps and stopped short, staring icily at one of the men. "Alex." He said shortly.

"Sam." The man replied just as coldly.

I raised an eyebrow. "Someone wanna tell me what the hell's goin' on here?"

"Of course." Xavier said and gestured to the three new people. "Logan, this is Sarah Rosenthal, Peter Anderson and Alex Summers."

I raised my other eyebrow. "Summers?"

Scott nodded. "Alex is my little brother. I believe you've heard a bit about him."

I looked at Sam, whose expression was carefully neutral when he spoke. "Yes Logan. He's the one I put through the wall back when I was a student here." I cursed under my breath. Things were about to get very interesting around here.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Later that night as Angela and I got settled in for the night, we discussed our new arrivals. "I can't believe I hafta put up with another Summers around here." I grumbled.

"Oh, calm down." She said, chuckling. "Maybe he won't be so bad."

"Sure. And I've decided to live a life of celibacy and join a monastery." I said dryly and she just glared at me. "I'll bet that if we had Blue check their DNA, they have a special gene for 'stick up the ass'. It's probably a secondary mutation."

She rolled her eyes and pulled on one of my t-shirts. "You're jumping to conclusions, lover. I'm sure he'll be fine." She climbed into bed and turned onto her left side. "Damn it, I want to sleep on my stomach!"

"Too bad. The doc said this was better." I didn't mind in the least. It meant I got to curl up behind her and hold her close to me all night. "You do realize that Alex is the guy that Sam put through the wall, right?"

"Yes Logan, I know. He said so, remember?" She sighed. "And they say pregnant women get forgetful."

I growled playfully and slipped into bed next to her. "You're not funny."

"Yes I am." She pressed herself into me after I got settled and I wrapped my arm around her waist, my hand resting on her belly. "But did you see the way Scott was looking at Sarah?"

"Darlin', it's impossible to see how he looks at anyone."

"No it isn't, not if you know what to look for. His face was more relaxed than I've ever seen it and he was always leaning a little bit towards her. You ask me, I'd say he's attracted."

"Hmm." I thought back on what I'd seen during the meeting, but I'd been more focused on keeping Sam and Alex apart than on what One-Eye was doing. "Could be. Maybe it'll chill him out."

"Mm-hmm." She murmured. I slipped my hand under her shirt and gently stroked her skin. "Mmm, that's nice."

I moved in to kiss the back of her neck when I felt something move under my hand and I stopped dead. I waited a breath and I felt it again. I broke into a grin and leaned up on my elbow. "Angela, I can feel him movin'!"

"Really?" She said, rolling onto her back. "I mean, I've felt him for a couple weeks now, but I didn't think you'd be able to feel anything for at least another month."

"Sometimes bein' hypersensitive is a good thing." I said and I laid my head on her belly. I closed my eyes and filtered out all the background noise; the soft sound of the heat coming through the vents, Angela's and my own breathing and heartbeats, various creaks coming from all over the house. And there it was, my baby's heartbeat. "Darlin', I can hear him!" As soon as I spoke, he moved again and I smiled. I looked up and Angela had a smile on her face and tears standing in her eyes. "I can hear him!"

"You can?" She asked and I nodded. She held out her arms and I gathered her up for a kiss. I made love to her gently that night, not wanting to break the spell. We fell asleep with me curled around them protectively and I was the most content I could ever remember being. I should have known it couldn't last.

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**AN:** I believe this is the official halfway point, if you all count the epilogue as a seperate chapter...:) I know i spoiled you guys when i wanted to make sure i got "Devil Inside" posted before i went on vacation and as tempting as it is to post more than one chapter at a time, i'm not gonna do it...:) Special thanks to Zac and Turiel Tincdaniel, the bestest beta readers ever...Extra Special thanks to DBK(tm) for his constant support and assurance that this thing i've written is more addictive than crack...Super Special thanks to my readers, for staying with me through all of this...and Super Swanky Special thanks to those who have reviewed, which are sela103, Ineluctability, MidLifeCrisis and reeltreble1031...also, a new reviewer, Mary Sue's Assassin, who reviewed on chapter 10 the day i posted 11...and sela, for the record...i have at least TWO more stories planned in this current saga, as well as another one that's a crossover that i've been messing with on and off the past couple of weeks...so the end still isn't in sight, not really...:) And with their expanded lifespans, who knows how much further i'll end up going:)

**Ok, now all of you who have read and haven't reviewed, please do so! Even if it's just to say hello!**


	13. Interlude and Chapter 13

Interlude: The Arizona Desert

Sitting in a darkened room, watching reports on a bank of televisions in front of him, Erik Lensherr carefully considered his options. It had taken several days after the incident at Alkali Lake for him to gather enough courage to speak to Charles, a conversation that had not gone as well as he might have hoped. In fact, he had contacted his old friend in order to ask him what his involvement was in the dramatic address the late President had given the day after the events at Alkali Lake, to which Charles had replied with a cool "I showed him the truth. The rest is up to him." Erik had feared he had irreparably damaged his relationship with the telepath and he wouldn't be wrong. Neither man could forget the years they'd spent working together for the good of all mutants, but there are some things that just can't be forgiven. Being willing to sacrifice a little girl he had no connection to was one thing. Being willing to sacrifice his oldest friend was something else entirely and he'd often thought, after the fact, if he'd simply gone too far.

After the late President's surprising announcement that the government was going to begin working with the mutant community to bridge the gap between them, Erik had adopted a "wait and see" attitude. He knew that if anyone could convince the world that mutants were not a threat, it would be his old friend. It was true that in the months that followed, mutants were enjoying a new level of tolerance on many levels, although there would always be individuals who refused to accept them. Those people were also intolerant of other races, religions or anything they thought was "different", so it didn't surprise him really. Still, it looked like Charles may have been right after all and Erik was secretly glad for it.

Then, a few short weeks ago, both the President and Vice President had been killed and the man who was sworn in was the late President's polar opposite. In the space of a few days, the few freedoms that mutants had been enjoying were stripped away. Mutant hysteria was at an all-time high and with this latest announcement about mutants in the military, Erik was once again back where he started. He knew it was only a matter of time before the current government started rounding the mutants up and sending them to designated areas, then work camps, all for the "greater good". Finally, mutants would be herded into remote areas and exterminated. It angered him to think that Wolverine might be the only mutant that would survive this new holocaust, his healing factor making him well nigh invulnerable. As long as he'd been around, faking his own death wouldn't be a problem for him. Much as he hated to admit it, Wolverine might just be the one thing that could save mutantkind.

But that was something to worry about in the future. For the present, he needed information and there was only one person who could get it for him. Turning in his chair, he leveled his gaze on the only other person in the room and smiled. She was strikingly beautiful, her red hair swept back from her forehead, her yellow eyes unblinking. She was naked, with scales covering her in strategic spots. No one ever really knew if the scales were an actual part of her skin or something she affected for the sake of decorum. She never wore clothing; when she needed it, she just shifted her form to affect it. "Mystique, I have a job for you."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chapter 13

(Angela)

Near the end of March, Hank called Logan and me down to his lab for a meeting. Naturally, we were both worried that it had to do with the baby, that he or Dr. Owens had discovered some problem or other. In the end, we were only half right.

He ushered us into his office and got us settled down in the comfy chairs in front of his desk. "I know you two are very busy and I also have a class to teach, but I think it can wait." He said as he reached for a file on his desk. "Now, if you recall, you came to me a couple weeks ago with a question about how mutations are inherited."

I nodded. "Yeah, we did. I don't know why I never thought about it, but the last time I had true dreams, I was pregnant with my daughter and she turned out to have precognition."

"And you've never had true dreams otherwise?"

"No, nothing even close. I used to get strong feelings of…well, doom is the only way to put it, before our missions that turned out to be more difficult than others had been, but nothing specific." I laughed bitterly. "But hell, when you do the stuff we did, there usually was doom involved, even if it wasn't our own."

Hank chuckled and removed his glasses. "I suppose that's one way to put it." He opened the file and took up a pen. "Now, before I give you my opinion, there are few questions I would like to put to the two of you." I looked at Logan and he shrugged, then we both nodded. "Excellent. Now, Logan, I know that your memories are quite new to you, but what do you remember of your family?"

"Can't tell you too much, really." He said. "I had a brother who died when I was really young. Found out later he must have had the same mutations as me."

"I see." Hank said, scribbling in the file. "What about your parents? Grandparents?"

"Didn't see much of my mother. She was kinda crazy, I think. My father didn't have any mutations I know of, if he really was my father." He furrowed his brow in concentration. "Now, if Tom Logan was my real father, he was just an asshole an' a drunk. My grandfather was just an asshole."

"So we have no way to be certain about possible gifts?" Logan nodded and Hank made more notes before turning to me. "Angela? What about your family?"

"Well, I don't know if anyone was psychic or anything," I said, "but Mother always knew where anything was, no matter where it got lost. Father never got sick a day of his life." I rubbed my forehead, thinking hard. It had been so long since I thought about my family and calling up the memories was harder than I thought it would be. "I remember Mother telling me that her grandmother always knew what the weather was going to do, like if it was going to hail to cover the beans or if there was a blizzard coming to get more firewood inside."

"Interesting. Anything else?"

I wracked my brain, but nothing else came out, so I shook my head. "No, that's about it."

"So doc, whattaya thinkin' here?" Logan asked.

Hank finished up his notes and closed the file. "In genetics, different traits are passed on in a variety of ways. For example, hair and eye color are generally inherited from one parent or the other. Other traits have been known to skip a generation." He sat down behind his desk and leaned forward with his hands clasped. "I will admit that this is actually new territory for me. I have never before had the opportunity to observe the gestation of a child that is the product of two mutant parents. While I am certain that you are not the first mutant couple to have a child, you are the first couple I know personally. With the evidence I do have, it is my opinion that there is a psychic mutation in Angela's family that seems to skip a generation."

"That's not very definitive, Blue." I said. "And it doesn't explain the dreams."

"On the contrary, my dear. As I said before, I don't have extensive experience with the children of two mutants. But again, it is my opinion that what happened to you before and is happening to you now is the result of a psychic mutation your child will most likely posses. As his brain develops, the synapses will begin to fire. When they fire in the area that controls the mutation, it is altogether possible that he is receiving visions of things to come. However, since he is not yet born, he lacks the necessary language, visual and auditory information to interpret these visions. Thus, he pulls that which is appropriate from your own memories, which in turn sparks the memory in your own mind, even if it's something you have not thought about personally in a very long time."

"I thought mutations didn't come out til puberty." Logan stated. "Why would this be happenin' now?"

"Again, I point out that I've never been in this position before. It could be a by-product of cerebral development and the actual mutation will not manifest until puberty. Or perhaps he'll exhibit his mutations from birth. This is very new ground for me."

I chewed on my lip as I thought about what he'd told me. On the one hand, it was fascinating to think that my child was probably going to be psychic. On the other, I was deeply fearful that I would wind up with more horrible dreams based on stuff I'd already been through. And there was something else as well. "Hank, do you think…will he remember these visions?"

"It's very unlikely. Although there have been a few cases in those with eidetic memory who claim to remember everything from birth, I have not seen enough evidence to support this."

I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding and smiled. "Thanks Blue, for everything."

"It was my pleasure, my dear. Now, if you'll excuse me. I have to get to class before the children decide to attempt dissecting their frogs without me." He stood up and waved us out of his office before heading to his biology class. I leaned against the wall for a moment, relieved beyond measure now that I understood what was going on.

"Well, I'm glad we got that figured out." Logan said, smiling.

"Yeah, me too." I replied and pulled him down for a kiss. "Of course, it gives us new things to worry about after he's born…"

"Nah, he'll be fine. He'll have Chuck to teach him everythin' he'll need to know."

"True." I kissed him again, then pulled away with a smirk. "See Logan? I _told_ you I wasn't psychic!"

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Nightmares were abundant at the mansion, almost no one able to sleep an entire night without waking up from the torment of their own inner fears. The youngest children were the worst, especially the newer ones who were trickling in one and two at a time from all over the country. Many of them were dropped off by tearful parents who'd had their children tested at birth and had been simply waiting to see if the mutation would manifest or lay dormant. Needless to say, we had a rash of prematurely awakened gifts due to the emotional stress the poor babies were under. Fortunately, the senior students rose to the challenge admirably and helped them to understand what was happening to them and to gain some control over their powers. Some of the seniors were so good at it, we assigned them permanently to teach the younger students the use of their powers.

Logan's nightmares returned with a vengeance, only with variations of the same theme. Some nights, it was him in the tank, others it was me. On occasion it was someone like Rogue or Chasca. The worst was when he dreamed it was an infant and he knew it was our baby in there. He woke up from those in such a state that he was almost inconsolable. He would sit there and shake for hours before I could calm him enough to go back to bed. On those days, we had Kyro take over the defense class so Logan could rest.

March gave way to April, but the optimism that usually accompanies spring was dampened by the ongoing turmoil in the nation. Thanks to Buzz, Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters was still seen as no more than a prep school. He'd long ago hacked into Stryker's old server and systematically found every copy of his report about the "mutant training facility" and purged them. Charles had long ago stolen the only hard copy that had ever existed of it, along with the photographs. And since everyone that had been a part of the invasion of the school almost exactly a year before had been killed either during the invasion or later at Alkali Lake, there was no one left to tell the new President about us. For the time being, the school was still the only safe place in the country to be a mutant.

The funny thing was, Stryker was ultimately correct in his assessment. Sure, we still held classes and taught the kids in academic subjects, but we were also training a veritable army. As time went on, it became more and more obvious that Magneto had been more right than anyone ever wanted to admit out loud. It was because of this that the teams were training harder than ever and even those that weren't officially on a team were putting more effort into it. We knew that he would make a move sooner or later and we needed to be ready for it. I secretly hoped that if the country could see the X-Men defending normal humans from Magneto that they would start to question the decisions made by the President. Otherwise, I didn't give mutants a snowball's chance in hell of surviving the next two and a half years under this guy.

The snow finally started to melt near the end of April and I entered my twenty-sixth week of pregnancy. I felt like I was as big as a house and I made good on the promise I made all those months ago at the cabin. Storm and I went into the city for some baby shopping and I found a boutique that did customized maternity wear. I came out with several tops with different things printed on them. I had the promised "Touch my stomach and die" as well as the "I'm fine, don't ask" one. Added to those were "My baby daddy can kick your baby daddy's ass", "Future tyrant, don't piss me off" and "Zero to bitch if you try to give me advice", amongst others. Storm wasn't sure that Charles would be happy with me if I tried wearing them to teach classes and insisted I buy at least a few that didn't have smart assed sayings on them, so I bought couple that had cutesy pictures on them like butterflies and fairies. I am pleased to say that Storm was wrong and I never had to wear those.

Little Wolvie was practicing to be a soccer player and had also discovered where my bladder was. It was now impossible for me to go for more than thirty minutes at a stretch before he would start kicking me and I'd all but run to the nearest bathroom. The students took it all in stride with no comments, although Sam liked to give me a good-natured ribbing about it every once in a while. Logan on the other hand was thrilled with all the moving going on in there. He now slept firmly curled around us with his hand on my belly. I think he was afraid he might miss something, I don't know for sure, but I never complained. This whole experience had been so good for him. He scowled less, smiled more and even went whole days without picking on Scott. The last was a minor miracle in itself, considering Scott's courtship of Sarah.

He spent the first week after she arrived with Peter and Alex trying to figure out if she was involved with either of them. I finally got so exasperated with him that I simply asked her outright. When the answer came back "no", he spent the next week trying to figure out if she was involved with ANYONE. Sam beat me to the punch on that one, which was also a "no". So, taking a page from the Samuel Levison Handbook on Courtship, he started by leaving a dozen pink roses outside her bedroom door one morning so they'd be the first thing she saw when she opened the door. However, he included a note asking her to join him for breakfast, which she did. In the space of two weeks, it was painfully obvious that he was deeply smitten with her and she had it just as bad for him. Naturally, he was still holding back a little, probably out of a sense of misplaced guilt over Jean's memory. Ultimately, it was Logan who told Scott he was being an idiot and that moving on was perfectly ok. It made sense, since there was no one else in the mansion that had same feelings for Jean. At any rate, I was happy for Scott.

Our new guests were quite a mixture. Sarah was in her late twenties and had planned on being career military until the President's announcement. When faced with being dishonorably discharged for being a mutant, she instead chose to go AWOL. She'd been sneaking out of her barracks when she ran into Alex doing the same thing. He told her about the school and offered to take her with him, which she accepted. Four days later, they ran into Peter at a diner when they stopped for a quick lunch. After comparing notes, they invited him to come with them, seeing there would be safety in numbers. They only had one close call on the entire trip out here, which they managed to avoid thanks to Peter's mutation. He could turn himself and anything he touched invisible, a talent that would definitely come in handy. He was still visible to such things as infrared and electronic surveillance, but they'd only needed to fool the human eye.

Sarah's mutation was one none of us had ever encountered before. By heritage, she was one-eighth Native American and she had the most beautiful straight black hair to show for it. It was also part of her heritage that she not cut her hair unless someone close to her died, so she'd been able to keep it long even in the military due to religious reasons. This was fortunate, because her hair was prehensile. I'm still not sure how it works, if it's a mental power or if her hair is like a living organism, but she could do everything from make it braid itself or coil itself into a bun to make it stand straight on end. That might not seem impressive, but her hair was about thirty inches long and she could use it to whip an opponent or, when it was standing straight out, use it to pierce flesh. The look on Logan's face the first time she did that in the Danger Room was absolutely priceless. I wasn't there to see it when it happened, but Rogue brought me the video capture later and I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe.

Alex's mutation was in the same category as his brothers, in that he absorbed ambient energy (such as sunlight) and could project it outward from his body or in focused bursts from his hands. In an interesting twist, Scott and Alex discovered that they're immune to each other's powers. I would like to say it was a discovery that was made accidentally, but about four days after Scott started his wooing of the lovely Sarah, Alex made a snide comment about it and they wound up in a knock-down, drag-out fight that even had me gaping in astonishment. The two of them tried to blast each other simultaneously and when nothing happened, they immediately took off for the Danger Room for "further testing". Hank swore that was true, but I still think it was man talk for "fight in a setting where we can't hurt anyone else". Logan even offered to kick both their asses, but Scott just glared and Alex declined when he saw the claws.

At least there was some good news on the political front. The President was still trying to pressure Congress into passing the Mutant Registration Act, but there was little progress on that front. No matter who he thought he was, he was still bound by the political process and if the thing didn't make it out of Congress, it would never get passed. Research into the X gene was at an all time high and another colleague of Charles', a Dr. Moira MacTaggart in Scotland, was at the forefront of it. What the world at large didn't know was that she had a son whose mutation was so out of control that he had to be kept in isolation in a forced coma. He was also hopelessly psychotic, which only made it worse. She'd originally started her research as a means to cure him, although it has never been clear to me if she wanted to cure his mutation or his psychosis.

At any rate, she was considered the top expert on the X gene and scientists from all over the world were consulting with her on a daily basis. It was her stance that being born a mutant was no different than being born blond or with Tourette's. The biggest problems she had to face were the scientists who truly believed that mutation was nothing more than a disease and they were using her research to try and prove that. I won't deny that there are some mutations that are harder to live with than others (Rogue's inability to touch, for example), but calling it a disease was just plain wrong. I'm no scientist, but even I know that in order for something to qualify as a disease, it has to present very clear and predictable symptoms and progression. Mutation is so widely varied and can manifest at any age from birth to adulthood that it in no way qualified as a disease no matter what anyone wanted to believe. What pissed me off the most was that these men and women couldn't find a cure for things like certain cancers, which kill more people than mutants ever have, yet they wanted to find a way to cure mutation. I didn't want to kill them over it, but a good solid beating sounded better every day.

Buzz and Sage were still working on the Sentinel problem every day, analyzing data as it came in from his friends all over the world. Governments all over the world would freak completely if they knew how easy it was for them to hack into their systems. Had anyone stopped to think about it, they would have realized that hacker attacks were at an all-time low during this period, mostly because the best of them were hard at work helping us out. Instead, the software giants simply congratulated themselves for finally coming up with "uncrackable" protection software. In the world the rest of us live in, hackers had simply stopped gloating when they managed to break into a supposedly secure system. So, the information kept coming in a steady trickle, each bit analyzed and filed away in the secure (i.e. offline) central computer Buzz had purchased specifically for the project. With Sage there to assist, the project was going even faster. However, no one had been able to find anything about the current location of the Master Mold and Buzz suspected that all of that was either kept strictly on hard copy or, even worse, was only known to a few select people and had never been put down in any retrievable format. The few leads he'd had in the past couple of months had come to nothing and he was frustrated beyond words. At least he still had Jubilee, who kept him smiling in his off hours.

Also by the end of April, we rounded out Delta team by advancing a boy named Julio Richter, code name Rictor. He had the ability to release seismic energy through his hands, with effects ranging from breaking a glass to earthquakes. We didn't really have a way to gauge how strong his power was, simply because we didn't want to go around causing random seismic events for the sake of knowledge. But he was a good kid and had pretty tight control over his gift, so we felt confident that he'd be a good addition to the team. The rest of Gamma team was informed that they'd have to wait until the next school year to have a chance to advance, unless they wanted to train in the summer months as well. Since most of the rest were permanent residents at the mansion, the only exception being Sam Guthrie, who I always called by his code name "Cannonball" to avoid confusion, they readily agreed. We had more students begging to be allowed on Gamma team every day, but the majority of them were too young and we had to turn them down. It pained Logan and I to do so, but we didn't feel it was right to ask anyone under fourteen to fight in a war. We still had reservations about some of the kids on Beta and Delta as it was, but we were quickly running out of options. Whether we liked it or not, war was on the horizon. All we could do was hope to be ready for it.

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On May first, Rogue, Storm, Kitty and Jubilee treated me to a surprise baby shower. I really didn't want to have one in the first place, what with all the horrible stuff that was happening in the world, but it did cheer me up a little bit in the end. Everyone on the staff had been invited along with Beta team and the senior students. By the end of the day, I had everything this baby would ever need for the first four years of its life. The most touching gift by far was a crib from the Professor, which he said has been in his family for generations. The most amusing was a pair of rag dolls that Kitty had made that bore a striking resemblance to me and Logan. The largest gift was a new suite of rooms for me, Logan and the baby that had a connecting door to the nursery. I tried to turn it down, stating that there were bound to be families coming to the mansion sooner or later who would need the space more, but Storm and the Professor wouldn't hear it. The nursery came complete with a mini-fridge, since I was planning on breast-feeding and I'd need somewhere to store my milk in the event that I was called away for an emergency after the baby came. The rest of Alpha insisted that there would never be anything so urgent that it would take me away from the little one, but I was more realistic than that. Logan was just thrilled that he now had somewhere he could hide his beers closer to our room.

Of course, we couldn't have a high note without a low one coming right after. It was a couple weeks later and I'd been monitoring the security system, since Little Wolvie was a nightowl and I couldn't sleep anyway, when the computer in the corner gave a loud beeping sound. I jumped in my seat, having been mesmerized by the monitors in front of me that showed absolutely nothing. The computer in question was the one we used for all communications with our safe houses. Buzz had personally designed all of the software on it so that it was hack-proof, although Scott always liked to point out that Buzz himself was all the evidence anyone needed to show how hack-proof computers really weren't. Buzz simply ignored the statement and to date, we haven't had anyone succeed in an attempt to get into that system.

The computer gave another loud beep and I rolled my chair over to it. A red icon was blinking in the corner, an encircled X. My heart leapt into my throat when I clicked on it and quickly scanned the message that had been sent. A heartbeat later, I hit the alarm that would summon Alpha team to the office. Within two minutes, everyone was there.

"Angela, vhat's happened?" Kurt asked, suppressing a yawn.

I hit a couple keys and the message appeared on an oversized screen that took up about a third of one wall. "I just received this from one of the safe houses. It was triple-encoded and sent as urgent."

_Red Riding Hood to Buzzkill_, it began. _Big Bad Wolf is here. Repeat, Big Bad Wolf is here. Send the woodsman 911. Will try to hold off until he gets here._

We used fairy tale characters for all of our people in charge of the safe houses. Red Riding Hood was the person in charge of the one near Des Moines, Iowa, which was actually one of the smaller ones. "No time for uniforms, get your asses out of here!" I barked and only Logan hesitated and that just long enough to give me a quick kiss. All told, it only took about three minutes from when I hit the alarm to when the jet took off. If Storm took it sub-orbital, she could get there in less than half an hour. I still wished I could have gone with them.

A few seconds after I heard them leave, I hit another key on the computer that would bring Beta team to the office. They were already awake, having heard the jet and it took them less time to get down there. I outlined the situation for them before I sent them to suit up and patrol the grounds. I had Alpha team on the main radio, so I kept Beta on the earpiece coms we use on missions. Not surprisingly, Delta team showed up a few minutes later, Buzz hot on their heels.

"What's the situation?" Sage asked without preamble.

I repeated my story for the third time and she took a seat at another terminal. Buzz went to the safe house machine (nicknamed "Fairy Godmother") and tried to raise the house that way. His message bounced back a few seconds later and he cursed softly under his breath.

"What's wrong?" I asked, a sinking feeling in my gut.

"Messages won't go through, which means their computer is offline." He scratched his head and went to another computer. He typed rapidly, calling up some kind of schematic and cursed again. "Damn it, they've cut power to a whole city block."

"Who's 'they'?" Warren asked.

"Fucked if I know." He said and kept typing.

"What are you doing?" I asked, trying to keep up.

"Seeing if I can go around whatever they did and restore power, but it's not working." He typed in more commands and cursed. "They must have cut a line, I can't get it back on through the power company. Damn it!" He slapped the desk and I jumped in my seat. I've known Buzz for a long time and this was the first time I'd ever seen him actually angry. He sat back and frowned at the screen before typing in another series of commands. Before I could see what he was looking at, Totem spoke in my earpiece. "Beta leader to base."

"Beta leader, report." I said, turning my back on Buzz.

"All clear." He said. "Should we return to base?"

"Negative. Stay on alert until Alpha team returns or I say otherwise."

"Roger that. Beta leader out."

I turned back to Buzz, but he quickly closed the screen he'd been looking at. "Hey, what was that?" I asked.

He turned to me, pale and shaking. "You don't want to know." He replied.

"What? Why not?" Before he had a chance to answer, Logan's voice came over the main radio.

"Alpha to base, come in." He said and I could hear the barely controlled rage in his voice.

"This is base, report." I replied even though something told me I wouldn't want to hear it.

"Arrived on scene half a minute ago." He growled then took a deep breath. "We were too late."

I closed my eyes and swallowed hard. "Survivors?"

"Negative." I heard him take another deep breath and for the first time I caught the sound of weeping in the background. "Situation jigsaw."

I clenched my jaw to keep from breaking down myself. "Rog-roger that." I stammered. "Was it our old friends from the Bad Old Days?"

"Negative. Never seen anythin' like this."

I nodded even though he couldn't see me. "Any clues?"

"None. We're comin' home."

"Roger. Base out." I cut the connection and turned to the others. "Well, you heard him." I looked at Buzz. "You saw it, didn't you? That's why you closed that screen so fast."

He nodded and swallowed hard. "You really didn't want to see that. Hell,_ I_ didn't want to see it. Now I can't un-see it."

"What is dis 'situation jigsaw'?" Remy asked, his red eyes wide. "We have not learned dat term in class."

"Just what it sounds like. It means they found the bodies in pieces."

"Sacre bleu!" He exclaimed. "Who would do a ting like dat?"

"I'm more afraid that it might be a 'what' and not a 'who' that we're dealing with."

"You mean the Sentinels." Sage stated and I nodded. She cursed softly and turned to her computer. "I don't see how! We haven't found the damn Master Mold anywhere!" She started typing and called up the files she and Buzz had compiled over the previous weeks. "Illegal weapon factories, hidden military bases, stuff like that in plenty. Hell, we even found Area 51. Thermal imaging hasn't helped and there's nowhere anything as big as that thing has to be could hide for long without disturbing the local area."

"Have you looked underwater? Polar regions? Deserts?" She nodded to every suggestion and I cursed. "In orbit?"

"Look for yourself." She said and I scanned the file again. "The damn thing isn't anywhere we can look with a satellite and that includes the moon."

"We're missing something here and I'll bet anything I own that it's right in front of us."

"Even your car?" Buzz piped up, looking a little excited.

"Except the car. And Logan." I replied as I went through the file. "Fuck, I used to be so good at this!"

"Don't beat yourself up." Sofia said, gripping my shoulder. "It's been a real long time since you _had_ to be good at this."

"That's no excuse." I snapped and she jerked her hand away. I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. "I'm sorry. I'm just so damn frustrated!"

"I know." She whispered. "You'll get it figured out sooner or later."

"Should have been sooner." I muttered bitterly. "We could have saved lives if we'd…" I cut myself off. If there's one thing I had learned, it was to never fixate on what might have been. It's always best to focus on what you can do now and for that moment it was to send Delta back to bed. They grumbled and groaned, but eventually complied. I tried to get Buzz to go too, but he insisted on waiting for Jubilee and I reluctantly let him stay. About twenty minutes later I heard the jet making its final approach and Beta team came into the office. They reported that everything was quiet, so I sent them back to their beds as well and waited for Alpha.

They were a grim-faced lot as they filed back into the office and took seats. Piotr was all but carrying Kitty; it had been her sobs I'd caught over the radio. Logan came right to me, pulled me out of my seat and held me tight. "Darlin', it's a damn good thing you couldn't go." He whispered, his voice tight.

"Yeah, I heard." I replied. He pulled away to look at me and I gave him a weak smile. "You know Buzz and his skills. Had a satellite shot or something on his screen." Logan scowled and started to turn but I stopped him. "Don't worry, he closed it before I saw anything."

"Wish I'd closed it before _I_ saw anything." Buzz grumbled. "How did you guys stand it?"

"Don't ask." Logan growled and sat down. I took my seat again and Scott launched into the rundown of what they found.

Storm had pushed the jet to sub-orbital and they'd gotten there in about twenty-five minutes. The mutants that had been living in that particular safe house were mostly children, but it was also one of the few that had more than one person who was AWOL from their respective military branches, a husband and wife team. The husband, a Brian Ford according to the underground files, had enhanced endurance as one of his mutations, so he'd been awake when the house was hit. He'd been the one who sent the message, for all the good that it did.

"Whatever it was that hit them, it was big." Scott said, still looking pale. "The house itself was in a little town just outside Des Moines, less than three thousand people in the whole place. By the time we got there, the house was obliterated, along with about two blocks to either side of it." He swallowed hard. "There wasn't anyone alive in all of that."

"You're sure?" I asked, a mixture of sorrow and rage warring inside me.

Logan nodded. "Yeah. We stuck around long enough for me to get a look around an' all I smelled was death." His fists were clenched in front of him and I could see the tips of his claws straining just beneath the skin between his knuckles. "I ain't wanted to kill somethin' this bad in a long time."

"There were babies in there!" Kitty cried suddenly, tears streaming down her face. "I was looking through the rubble, trying to find someone alive and I looked down and I thought it was a broken doll, but it wasn't!" She turned her face back into Piotr's chest, who wrapped his arms around her and stroked her hair.

I closed my eyes and rubbed my stomach absently. Once I felt like I'd be able to speak without breaking down, I looked back up. "All right, this is over for now. We'll go over it in detail with the Professor tomorrow. Right now, we all need sleep."

"I don't think I'll ever sleep again." Jubilee said. "I'll take over in here for you."

"Thanks. I owe you one." She smiled weakly and I stood up. "We'll get whoever did this."

"Yes, we will." Scott said, his voice hard and it was that moment that he knew there was no turning back.

We were at war.

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**AN:** Well, tension is certainly building here, isn't it:) You might want to strap yourselves in and grab the handlebar, because this ride isn't getting any easier...Special thanks to Zac and Turiel Tincdaniel for beta reading and keeping me inspired...Extra Special thanks to DBK(tm) for his continued support and offers of some rather, um, creative bribes for his "next fix"...:) Super Special thanks to my readers for sticking with me this far...and Super Swanky Special thanks to the reviewers, sela103 and Inelutability for the last chapter...also Dee (MidLifeCrisis), who reviewed live over instant messenger...:) I had a 41st review, but FFN seems to have eaten it and i can't remember who it was...so, whoever you are, thanks for the review...:)

**So, please click that little button marked "go" next to where it says "submit review"...all the cool kids are doing it!**


	14. Interlude and Chapter 14

**Special Notice:** In response to one of my reviews, i would like to remind everyone that i update every three days unless the site is being evil and won't let me for some reason...i never even upload a single CHAPTER until the story is finished, so although it's _technically _complete, i'm a big meanie and i make you wait three days between chapters...:) Now, if i get a review from someone who's never reviewed before (hinthint), i'll reward that person by updating immediately...:) I now return you to your regularly scheduled story, already in progress...:)

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Interlude: Washington, D.C.

Senator Robert Kelly walked through the halls of the White House for his meeting with the new President. The man had been in office a little over three months now and had already managed to tear down all the bridges that had been built between normal humans and mutants, bridges the Senator had worked very hard to construct. While he'd been en route to Washington from his vacation home in Arizona, reports of some sort of attack in Des Moines, Iowa came over the news feed. Human nature being what it is, they were blaming the mutants. Unbeknownst to the public at large, the attack had been on a safe house FOR mutants, one of hundreds in the United States alone. The Senator knew all about these safe houses, but had been very careful not to leak that information to anyone who didn't need to know. In other words, anyone who wasn't a mutant.

The Senator arrived at the outer office that serves the famous Oval Office and was asked to wait a few minutes while the President finished another meeting. He excused himself to the men's room for a moment, needing to relieve himself before facing the leader of the western world. Once in there, he locked the door, took a deep breath and CHANGED. His immaculate navy blue suit, perfectly shined shoes and carefully cultivated appearance became that of a strikingly beautiful woman, her skin a remarkable shade of blue with blood red hair and glowing yellow eyes. Mystique took a moment to compose herself, her heart beating so hard in her chest it was almost painful. Deep down, what she really wanted to do was wrap her hands around the President's throat and squeeze the life out of him slowly. She wanted to put a gun to his head and force him to sign a suicide note begging forgiveness for his misguided attempts to eradicate mutants before she pulled the trigger. She wanted to kill him in any number of very colorful ways. But she wouldn't.

Erik needed information and the only person with that information was the President. She didn't have much time left, since it was a Senatorial election year and Senator Kelly had already announced that he was not going to seek to retain his seat in Congress. Mystique simply didn't have the energy to maintain the role anymore and continue as Magneto's most trusted lieutenant, especially now that there had been an outright attack against mutants. An attack that she knew the President was responsible for, she just didn't know how he'd managed to pull it off.

She took another deep breath and morphed back into the guise of the Senator, adjusted her tie and flushed the urinal. She washed her hands and left the men's room, plastering a smile on her face. A few moments later, she was ushered into the Oval Office.

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Chapter 14

(Logan)

I saw them again that night after I went to sleep. I still see them now, years later, almost every night, the old nightmares replaced with the new. But back then, the sight was still fresh in my mind and the only part that didn't bother me was that Angela hadn't been there. I know she's a strong woman and she's been the cause of plenty of bloodshed in her own right. But we'd never killed kids, never killed babies and never, NEVER killed anyone that wasn't part of the mission. At least, she hadn't. My own past wasn't as pretty but I didn't talk about those parts.

My memory continued to open up bit by bit, but with far better results than the initial burst. The further back they went, the easier they were to deal with. In some cases, I wasn't bothered by the things I did, such as during World War II when I'd gone on covert operations to take out Nazi supply lines. I had no problems at all taking out a few dozen Nazis in the bargain. In other cases, I was sickened by my own actions, during Vietnam for example, when there'd been a situation with an American soldier. In between the wars, there were other lives I'd lived, other people I'd been, other things I'd done. I'd been everything from a miner to a samurai, a loner, a husband and father. So many lives.

It's been said that history is broken up not by the times of peace, but the times of war. Just about every country on the planet has its own story of civil war and we even have two World Wars to look back on. And here I was, alive through many of them and still around to fight in a civil war on a worldwide scale, a war that would take so many people from us before it was over. But I'm getting ahead of myself again.

The attack on the safe house in Des Moines made the news in record time. It had been initially blamed on mutants, go figure, until autopsy reports came back that the main target had been the safe house. There was a lot of speculation as to the purpose of this house full of mutants, most of them children, but since the computer in the house had been destroyed with no chance of recovery, no one ever knew the truth about it. Except, of course, for the X-Men and the underground. We mourned their passing, but we couldn't indulge ourselves for long. There was just too much work to do.

Late May brought us evenings where it was finally warm enough to return to the patio for our after-dinner brandy and cigar sessions. It also marked the home stretch for Angela's pregnancy. Hank and Dr. Owens took her off all active duty after she had the baby, which did nothing to improve her mood. After the Des Moines incident, she'd had a couple days of spotting and cramping which were attributed to stress, so she wasn't even allowed to man the security office anymore. Kyro took over the strategy and tactics classes, which left Angela with nothing to do. She hated every minute of it.

"Come on Hank! I feel fine!" She was arguing with Big Blue that she could still teach. "I haven't had one little spot in weeks and no cramps at all."

"My dear, I know that you're frustrated." Hank replied as he swirled his brandy. "But with everything that's going on, the last thing in the world that you need is more stress."

"It's just two classes a day! It's sitting there in front of a computer while the kids sit in front of _their_ computers and work the scenario. Hell, it's hardly like _working_ and I still can't believe Charles pays me to do it."

"You are not going to change my mind or that of Dr. Owens. You need to rest."

"I'm not going to. He's still content to play the drum solo from 'In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida' on my bladder at all hours."

There were a few chuckles all around and I slipped my arm around her shoulders. "Tiger, you know you can't win an argument with Blue. You lost before you even started."

"Logan, I am bored to tears here! If I don't do something, I'm gonna go crazy."

"Isn't it a little too late for that?" Scott quipped and she shot a glare at him. "Look, I'm just saying."

"Since when do you play the insult game?" She asked him. "I thought we were supposed to pick on you."

"Yeah well, having Alex around gives everyone a much better target and he gives me someone to practice on."

What he said was true. I thought One-Eye was the biggest dick on the planet, until I met his brother. Sure, Scott was the very definition of uptight, but I've never known him to be mean. Alex Summers was a real piece of work and had a bit of a cruel streak in him. Not that I think he'd pull the wings off flies or anything, but he had this kind of arrogance about him that came out in the most unpleasant ways. I had no idea I could ever dislike anyone as much as I'd disliked Scott when I first came to the mansion. A month with Alex in the house and I was ready to try some first-rate homicide.

It all started with Angela and her temper. Alex, along with Sarah and Peter, had asked to join the team. When told they would start an evaluation period with Gamma team, Alex got pissed off and demanded to know why. After all, he was a former student and military trained besides, why should he have to put up with a bunch of kids? The Professor had smiled at him and said that he no longer made the decisions about the team, he'd long ago put that in the hands of those better suited to make them. Naturally, Alex had asked who those people were and immediately went searching for Angela and me. I had been in the middle of a Danger Room session with Delta at the time, so it was Angela he confronted.

He found her in the lounge with Rahne, helping her go over the latest strategy scenario Kyro had given them and trying to figure out where she went wrong. Alex didn't even try to be polite, he just demanded to speak to her alone. By the time Angela told me the story, she laughed through the whole thing, but I could see the whole thing as it must have happened…

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_"Angela, I want to talk to you. Alone." Alex stood over her, glowering. She met his gaze impassively and they stared each other down for a moment._

_"Rahne, I'll catch up to you later." She said, not breaking eye contact with Alex. "But the answer is right in front of you, you're just not looking in the right place."_

_"All right." Rahne replied as she hastily gathered up her papers and scurried from the room. Angela stood and crossed her arms over her chest, her mouth set in a tight line. After a tense moment, she jerked her head towards the patio doors and he broke eye contact first to make his way out there._

_Once outside, she took the lead and noted with satisfaction that he fell in behind her with perfect military precision. She stopped when they got to the reflecting pool and turned to him. "What do you want, Summers?"_

_"I want to know why I have to start on Gamma with the babies when I have more training than anyone else here." He snapped, his eyes blazing._

_"Oh, you think?" She replied, her temper beginning to flare. "And what, precisely, makes you believe that?"_

_"For starters, I was one of the first students here. I was fully X-Man trained when I decided to join the military. So now I also have six years of Air Force training."_

_Angela couldn't help it, she laughed in his face. "And you think that means you're better trained than anyone else here? Has no one told you what lives under this roof these days?"_

_Alex scoffed as he gestured dismissively. "Oh sure, you and Logan and that Japanese guy are all assassin trained or whatever. It's hardly the same thing."_

_"Hardly the same thing? Are you new? And Logan isn't just assassin trained, he was in the Canadian Special Forces before that and he's fought in almost every war since World War I." She uncrossed her arms and took a step forward. "Hell, I'm ready to drop a baby at any moment and I could take you without breaking a sweat."_

_"I'd like to see you try it."_

_She was sorely tempted, but knew in her heart of hearts that Hank would find out somehow and she'd spend the next ten weeks locked in an isolation room. She still made a great show of sliding her claws out and polishing them on her shirt. "Lucky for you, I enjoy my freedom much more than I would enjoy teaching you a lesson." She slid her claws back inside her fingertips and recrossed her arms. "Xavier gave control of training the teams over to me and Logan for a reason. We instituted the team structure the way it is for a reason."_

_"And what would that be?"_

_"I'm talking to it."_

_His face reddened and he grabbed her arm. "Now look here!" He started, but that was as far as he got before Angela grabbed his wrist, claws out and twisted with a grace that her swollen belly didn't seem to allow for, bringing the younger Summers to his knees with his arm wrenched painfully behind him._

_"Lesson the first. Never touch me without permission. You Summers men have a huge problem with that. Let's hope you learn faster than your brother did." She gave his arm another shove and he winced in pain. "Lesson the second, never assume your opponent is helpless when she's a pregnant woman. There is a reason I'm called 'Hellcat'." She pushed him face down on the ground and stepped back. "Last, but not least, lesson the third. You want to make the team? Then remember that there's only room in the classroom for one attitude. Right now, it's mine. Other classes, it's Logan's. Gods forbid you ever piss him off, I can't guarantee you'd survive the experience with all of your limbs intact."_

_Alex lay there for a moment to catch his breath before levering himself back to his feet. "I've never seen anyone move that fast." He said in open admiration, rubbing his wrist._

_Angela rolled her eyes. "Look, bullying doesn't work on me and charm even less so. Just ask Remy. You want to be an X-Man, you start on Gamma or you go start your own superhero squad. We don't have time for your arrogance around here. Some of those so-called 'kids' you don't want to train with could probably kick your ass fifteen ways from Friday with one hand tied behind their backs. Starting on Gamma makes you all equal. If that's not good enough for you, that's your problem not mine."_

_"So how long would I be stuck on Gamma, anyway?"_

_She smiled cheerlessly. "When you prove to us that you're worth the effort." Without waiting for a reply, she turned her back and walked back to the mansion. "There was no part of that that wasn't fun." She said aloud to herself._

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

So the "merry month of May" was anything but for me. Sarah and Peter were fine with the situation; they were the "new kids", so to speak and they understood the need to be evaluated before they could be advanced. Summers on the other hand tried my patience at every turn and that's saying something. I know I have a reputation for being impulsive with a hair-trigger temper, but that's only partially true. What most people don't realize is how much waiting goes into being a covert operative, so my patience is actually pretty infinite. Just because I normally choose not to exercise it is another story. The temper part's fair.

Finally, near the end of May, I pulled him aside after a particularly brutal Danger Room session. "Summers, we need to talk."

"About what?" He snapped, clearly annoyed.

"About your performance in there, that's what." He crossed his arms and glared at me, which I returned only with more style. "Dahell did you call that today?"

"Danger Room session with Gamma team, why?"

I gritted my teeth. "You're on pretty thin ice here, bub. I suggest you stop tryin' my patience and listen for a change."

He sighed and crossed his arms. "Fine. What?"

"C'mon, I got somethin' to show you." I led him up to the observation booth where Jubilee was already calling up the video captures from the last six sessions. I motioned for him to take a seat before taking one of my own. Jubilee started the first one and we settled in to watch. In each session, strictly against the orders of the mission commander, Summers put himself in direct confrontation with the main enemy. Two of those sessions were supposed to be strictly covert retrievals, two were heavy combat and two were defensive exercises. Now, I'm the first one to tell someone that the best defense is a good offense, but that's the kind of lessons we save for the more advanced teams.

Another thing we saved was when to disobey an order. Gamma team needed to learn to work as a team before any of them would be advanced and that was where Summers was really fucking it up. In that last session, which was a combat scenario against Magneto and his crew, he'd blatantly disobeyed the order to hold the line given by the commander for the day, which had been Peter. Instead, he'd tried to rush the old man and gotten himself wrapped up in the remains of a Buick for his trouble, knocked out cold. When the scenario was over, he was fine but the rest of the team had suffered for the loss of his powers. Had he done what he was told, there would have been fewer injuries all around. It was an ongoing theme with him, as though showing that kind of initiative would impress me. What he wasn't getting was the part where it's one thing to break ranks to save a life. It's something else to go against the parameters of the mission because you think you deserve better than you're getting. At the rate he was going, he'd be lucky if I let him clean the bathrooms, much less join the team.

Once the last video was over and the lights came back up, he turned to me with a scowl. "So what's the problem?"

"The problem is your attitude." I said, popping a cigar in my mouth and chewing on it. "Now Jubilee here'll tell you how well I like followin' orders. But these lessons ain't just for you, bub, they're for the whole team. An' right now, you're teachin' those younger ones some very bad habits that'll take me months to break."

"Look, just because I don't want to sit around and wait for things to play out in there doesn't mean I'm not serious about being on the team!" He exclaimed. "It's not like it's real anyway."

"An' that would be the other problem." I replied. "We make everyone train in there, Alpha all the way down to the youngest kid in basic defense an' we do it for a reason." I took my cigar out of my mouth and gestured out the window with it. "In there, we can fuck you up in a million different ways an' it ain't permanent. You try that shit you pulled today with Mags right in front of you an' you won't live to regret the decision."

He snorted. "You sound like you're afraid of the guy. He's what, half your age?"

I growled and popped my claws about an inch from his face. "I got this shit all through me, pal. Angela and Kyro got it too. We get within half a mile of Magneto an' we're his bitches an' that ain't somethin' I like to admit. But at least I recognize that an' try not to get too close to the asshole. He's more powerful than you know."

He at least had the courtesy to look ashamed. "I've already been through full X-Men training, _Wolverine_." He made my name sound like a curse. "I don't see where you've got anything to teach me that I don't already know."

"You don't join the military an' start at the top, _Havok_. In case you haven't noticed, there's a full on war startin' out there. We ain't just trainin' X-Men anymore. We're trainin' an army. The sooner you figure that out, the sooner you'll advance." Without waiting for his answer, I stuck the cigar back between my teeth and stalked out of the booth. I heard him follow a few seconds later, but I chose not to hold the elevator for him. Let him hoof it up the stairs if he wanted to confront me so badly. When the elevator opened on the main floor, I headed straight for the patio doors. A couple kids had looks like they wanted to talk to me, but thought better of it when I shot a scowl their way. Unfortunately, that look doesn't work on everyone.

"Logan, wait up!" I heard One-Eye shout behind me. I didn't bother to wait for him, which forced him to jog to catch up to me. I stopped by the reflecting pool and finally lit my smoke. He came up beside me a few seconds later and made a face when I exhaled a huge cloud of smoke in his general direction. "Has anyone ever told you that smoking is a disgusting habit?"

"No one who's survived the attempt." I said. "Whattaya want Cyke?"

He shrugged and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Just wanted to know how it's going with Gamma team."

"The whole team or just your asshole brother?" I replied and he actually smiled.

"You noticed that huh? Or does it just take one to know one?"

"Don't push it, I ain't in the mood." I took another deep drag off my cigar. "Have you ever had Hank check you guys for extra chromosomes that control annoying behavior?"

"Very funny." He said dryly. "Believe it or not, I got all the charm in the family."

"You're right, I don't believe it." I flicked the ash off my cigar and watched it swirl away on the breeze. "I honestly never thought I'd find anyone that irritated me more'n you do. I shoulda reserved judgment a little longer."

"Little brothers seem to have that effect on people." He sighed and turned away. "It's almost funny, really. I was thrilled when the Professor found me in the boy's home back in Nebraska. I'd lost my whole family and had this freaky thing happening every time I opened my eyes, but he came along and showed me I wasn't the only person with powers. I didn't think anything could make me happier." He swallowed hard and I wondered why he was telling me all of this. I knew a little about all of this, but I'd never really cared enough to get details. After about a minute, he went on. "A couple months later, the Professor says he has good news, he found my brother and that became the happiest day of my life. Until he showed up here."

"Not the brother you remembered?"

"Not even close. It's like I had this idea in my head, this picture of who he was and how he'd turned out. The reality was a lot different. It was like his mutation manifested and he became this arrogant prick who thought he was better than everyone. I kept wondering what happened to that little kid who was always following me around and trying to be just like me, you know?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I know what you mean, only I was the little brother." I actually did know. I'd had a brother once, over a hundred years ago. I was really young when he died, but I could remember following him around and wanting to be just like him. It wasn't until years later when Thomas Logan broke into my house to kidnap my mother that I knew how accurate that was. I'll never know the whole story about my brother, but I could hear my mother screaming "No, not you too!" like she was standing in front of me. Years later, Rose told me about the scars she'd seen on my mother's side one day and it didn't take a genius to figure out that I was exactly like him, except I was alive and he wasn't. At least I know his blood isn't on my hands.

He shook his head. "Alex made such a pain of himself around here that there weren't that many people who were sorry to see him go. I'd hoped that military life would straighten him out some, where he'd just be another face in the mass." He chuckled bitterly and looked over to me. "Looks like it didn't work. He's a bigger asshole than you."

"An' that's sayin' somethin'." I took another long puff on my cigar. "Look, Cyke. I know we ain't exactly what you'd call friends but…well, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry I was a dick. You got enough of that with little bro here." I looked at him sideways and smirked. "He's a bigger asshole than you."

"And that's saying something." He replied with a smile, then turned and held out his hand. "Truce?"

I paused a moment before taking his hand and shaking it. "Truce. Can't promise I ain't gonna keep ribbin' you. Old habits die hard."

"Don't worry, I wouldn't expect anything less." We stood there for a few more minutes and I finished my smoke. "You still didn't answer my question." I raised an eyebrow. "About Gamma team?"

"You're right, I didn't." I said then turned and walked back into the mansion. I wasn't sure what had happened there, but I was glad the battle between Scott and I was finally over. There was still a much bigger battle ahead of us and I knew it would require all of our attention if we were all going to make it through.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A couple days later, Angela and I were going over the video captures of Gamma team's last Danger Room Session. I don't know if it was something I said or someone else, but Alex finally managed to make it through a whole session without going off half-cocked and getting the whole team in a mess. It wasn't enough to advance him to Delta, but it was a start.

"Huh." She said at the end of the video. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say do a DNA screen on him to make sure that was really Alex."

"I know." I replied, switching off the computer. "Surprised the livin' hell outta me an' I was right there for the whole thing."

"Maybe he'll make an X-Man yet." She said, then winced a little. She was about thirty weeks along and couldn't find a comfortable way to sit, stand or even sleep half the time. I wished there was something I could do for her, but she always pointed out that I had done "quite enough already, thanks" with a glance to her expanding stomach. After fidgeting for a minute, she sighed and settled back into the chair. "Of course, he'll have to wait until after summer break."

"Officially, yes. Unofficially?" I stood up and crossed to the window overlooking the Danger Room. "I got a bad feelin' that somethin's comin' that we ain't even considered. I've thought about this a lot an' if it comes to it, full X-Man or no, we'll need every trained body we can get, includin' Alex."

She shifted in her seat again. "You know I don't like that." She made another face then glanced at her watch. "And the rest of Gamma will scream that it's not fair."

"I don't like it either, darlin', but we might not have much choice. Besides," I knelt in front of her and put my hand over our baby, "this here is the first X-Baby. Ain't a person in this whole house that's not willin' to do what's right to keep him safe."

"X-Baby. I like it." She smiled and placed her hand over mine. "It sucks as a name, but it's cute."

I smiled and leaned over to kiss her hand. "How's he doin'?"

"He's fine. Keeps moving around and kicking me in the ribs, but I'll survive."

"Good." I slipped my arms around her and kissed her soundly, my hand sliding upward and burying itself in her hair. She moaned in the back of her throat and pulled me closer, her scent telling me what was on her mind. I answered with a growl deep in my chest and started working her shirt over her head. I'd just about gotten it off of her when there was a knock at the door.

"No fucking way!" She whimpered.

"Tell me about it tiger." I rumbled, looked down and took a deep breath to compose myself before calling out. "Who is it?" I snapped.

"It's Kitty. Can I come in?"

I bit back a curse then looked up at Angela. Her eyes promised me we would finish this later, so I sat back down in the chair I'd been using before, rolling it so I was sitting right at the desk. No need to advertise what was going on in here, after all. As soon as Angela had herself back in order, I called out to Kitty to come in.

She phased right through the door, not bothering to unlock it. For a young thing, she's pretty observant and she smirked at the both of us. "Um, the door was locked, so…"

"Yeah, well, we're workin' in here.'

"Mm-hmm." Her smirk widened to a grin and I scowled at her. "Working. I get it."

I sighed and Angela stifled a giggle. "Whatcha need?"

"It's four o'clock. Alpha has Danger Room now."

I cursed under my breath. "Right. Gimme ten minutes."

"Sure thing boss." She gave me a mock salute and phased back through the door.

Angela finally let the giggles get the better of her. "That was smooth lover, really."

"Woman, how many times do I have to tell you that you're not funny?" I growled even as I smiled at her.

"About as many times as I'll remind you that I'm a riot." She levered herself out of the chair and gave me another passionate kiss. "I'll see you later." She purred.

It should go without saying that Alpha finished Danger Room in record time that day.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**AN: **Hey everyone...i find myself at a loss for words today, so i'll just get to the thanking portion...:) Special thanks to the beta readers, Zac and Turiel Tincdaniel...Extra Special thanks to DBK(tm) AND Turiel for assuring me that a pure humor chapter in the NEXT story isn't too over the top (hehehehe...you all have to wait!)...Super Special thanks to my readers for, well, reading...:) And Super Special Swanky thanks to the reviewers, who were sela103, reeltreble1031 and Mary Sue's Assassin...sela, thanks for the compliment, but Zac (who is also my fiancee) says to be careful what you say, you'll give me an overinflated ego...:) reeltreble, try not to mangle your chair too much...you'll need those armrests later, i promise...:) And MSA, thanks for taking me out of your crosshairs...when i say that patience is a virture when it comes to some of my plot points, i mean it...and it's not like Angela didn't tell you she wasn't psychic all along...:) And even though it'll be a while before she gets this far, i'd also like to mention ButNothing, who just reviewed chapter 5 of "Devil Inside"...hurry up and get with the program...:)

**Now for those who haven't reviewed, please do so...even if it's just to say hello! After all, there's an update on demand if you do!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Pre-Chapter Note:** I meant what i said before about new reviewers...if i get even one, i'll post a new chapter immediately instead of making you all wait three days...:)

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chapter 15.

(Angela)

Mid-June saw the end of the regular school year and those few students who could went back home to their respective families. It shouldn't have come as a surprise when more than half of them were back within a few weeks, but apparently their parents felt they would be safer at the school. They were probably right, but it didn't make things much easier for the kids. However, thanks to the President and his growing anti-mutant agenda, it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep their fears at bay. To make that job even harder, Sage and Buzz came to Charles, Logan and I with bad news.

"We lost Project Wideawake." Buzz stated without preamble as he flopped bonelessly onto the couch.

We all reacted much as one would expect: Charles' eyes widened as his mouth thinned, I gaped openly and Logan scowled. "Whattaya mean, you 'lost' it?" Logan growled.

Sage shrugged and sat down with more grace in an armchair. "For the first time I can remember, I don't know. Last night we were compiling new data, analyzing the reports from the Red Riding Hood incident and waiting for messages from our contacts abroad. Today, the only messages they had for us were variations of 'Wideawake no longer exists anywhere'."

"Way I see it, that project was so widespread, it would have taken years to purge every bit of info from every computer that held the files." Buzz added. "Instead, the whole thing just vanished like it never existed overnight." He set a thick file down on the coffee table in front of him. "If I didn't have this in my hands, I'd think was going crazy."

"What's that?" I asked as I reached for it.

"Our best guesses based on the information we do have." Sage replied. "Our contacts in Russia, China and Australia are still working on it. They think it was all moved to new computers as opposed to a complete purge, but we can't wait around and hope they're right."

"I don't want anyone to put themselves at further risk for the sake of data we may never be able to recover." Charles said. "We'll have to go with what we've got right now and hope for the best. Please, tell your contacts thank you, but there's no need to continue down this path."

"Already tried, already turned down." Sage took the file from me and flipped to the back. "This is the last email we got from Australia." She handed me the printout.

_Buzzkill-_

_Wideawake is nowhere to be found. I don't know what that means, but there's something…interesting going on in the Outback. Got a look-see from above and saw things that looked like those Sentinels, only a lot smaller. Will try to get a cap for you._

_Cya!_

_Jazz_

"That was three days ago." Buzz said. "We know she's ok, because she's still posting to the message boards. But nothing personal since then."

"What do you think that means?" I asked, frowning.

"Dunno. Either she's waiting til she has something for me or else it's not really her doing the posting so we don't catch on that something's happened to her."

"Was…is she a mutant?" Logan asked.

"Actually no, but her older brother is. But he's in New Zealand for school and she's in Sydney."

"I'll see if I can track her down with Cerebro." Xavier offered. "Do you know anything about her other than her hacker name?"

"Yeah, it's all downstairs on the secure machine."

"Fine. We'll get to that later." The Professor steepled his fingers. "We need to know how much smaller these new Sentinels are." We all nodded in agreement. "Buzz, Sage, do what you can to contact this friend of yours by any means necessary. If nothing else, see if you can hack into her computer and extract the information that way." He sighed, his expression grave. "If I have to, I will send a team on the jet to do reconnaissance of their own and retrieve her if it's still possible to do so." Buzz nodded and he left the study with Sage close behind.

I turned to the Professor apprehensively. "When you said 'send a team', you meant Omega, didn't you?" I asked and he nodded. I swore softly. "Charles, I know I don't have to tell you what these things are capable of. You could be sending them on a one-way mission."

"I know." He said gravely. "However, we are quickly running out of options here. I hate the thought of losing any of you, but this is truly a war now and has been since the destruction of the safe house."

"It's been a war a lot longer than that, Chuck." Logan added. "It wasn't so bad when there weren't that many of us. But there's more mutants born every year, almost like someone's tryin' to tell us somethin' and we're missin' the message."

"It is that exact phenomena that's the bulk of Henry's research. We fear that this war is going to be nothing more than a distraction from the true threat to humanity, if only we could figure out what it is."

"Too bad we don't have any precogs 'round here. I'm sure they'd be able to figure it out."

"Well, we do, kind of, if Hank's right about Little Wolvie." I pointed out.

"Sure darlin', but he ain't gonna be able to help us out til he's older an' there's still no guarantee he'll be that powerful anyway."

Xavier nodded. "Logan's right, I'm afraid. I have spoken to a few people in the underground with that particular ability, however none of them are powerful enough to get a clear picture. All they've said is that there are too many variables and there is no way to tell which outcome is the most likely." He squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his forehead. "One thing they do agree on is that there is something much larger than the current threat on the horizon, they just don't agree on what it is."

"But obviously mutants are the key to that future." I stated plainly. "Otherwise there wouldn't be a need for so many to be around right now, when it seems like they're most needed."

"And most feared at the same time." He sighed again and thumbed the control on his chair. "I'll be downstairs if anyone needs me for anything. My first priority is finding Buzz's friend. Everything else will have to wait."

Taking that as a clear dismissal, Logan and I walked out of the study and made our way to the lounge. Little Wolvie decided to make his presence known by kicking me soundly in the ribs and I absently rubbed my belly to calm him. He always knew when I was even a little distressed and chose those times to be the most active. It was almost as though he knew that rubbing my stomach to calm him was just as calming to me. Logan wrapped an arm around my shoulders and kissed the top of my head. "Lover, you know that if he deploys Omega, he'll send you."

"Yeah, I know." He replied, not looking at me. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"I would!" I cried, whirling about to face him. "Logan, I can't lose you!"

"I'll make it darlin'. I always make it. It's what I do."

"And what if this is the time that you don't? I'm tired of saving your ass."

He chuckled and stroked my cheek. "You won't have to save my ass this time, I promise. I have too much at stake to do anythin' too stupid." He placed his hand on my stomach and Little Wolvie kicked it in response. "I didn't think there was anythin' in this world that would make livin' worth it. Then you came along an' I couldn't imagine there was anythin' that would make me happier than lovin' you does. But now we have this an' hell itself won't keep me from you for long."

"I love you." I whispered and stood on my tiptoes to kiss him. He enfolded me in a protective embrace and kissed me back hard enough to take my breath away.

When we broke apart, his eyes were bright with emotion. "I love you too, darlin'. When this is all over, no matter what happens, we'll take off to that little cabin again an' just get away from the world for awhile, all right?"

"Oh, that would be so lovely." I sighed. "But we both know that something else will come up and we'll be needed."

"Maybe. But even if we only get one day up there alone, it'll be worth it."

I nodded and he kissed me again, promising without words that we'd take this up again later. Right now, we both had work to do and we could feel time running away from us. I only hoped we'd find a way to catch it.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Twelve hours later, Logan and I were dozing in each other's arms after a particularly passionate evening. I was just falling over the edge of sleep when our internal line trilled softly on the nightstand next to my head. I groaned and Logan growled, but he let me go so I could roll over and answer it. It was the Professor.

"Angela, I need you and Logan in the security room in five minutes." He said, his voice tight.

"We'll be there." I replied, instantly awake. I returned the phone to its cradle and rolled over. "Come on lover, I think it's time."

Logan was immediately alert and we dressed quickly. My heart was thumping so hard in my chest that I knew Logan could hear it. I tried everything I could to calm down, but deep inside I knew that Charles was mobilizing Omega and my lover was going into the very heart of danger. He held my hand on the whole trip to the lower level and didn't let go once we got there.

We'd moved the security office to a larger room some weeks before to accommodate the additional equipment that Buzz had ordered. We felt that it was important for him to be able to conduct his projects and be ready to call a security alert immediately if his information dictated the action. When we entered the room, I saw that Bobby, Inferno, Alex, Chasca and Jubilee were all already there along with the Professor. Buzz was typing furiously at terminal in the corner, his brow furrowed in concentration beneath his shocking blue hair. Logan and I sat down in the two remaining seats.

Charles took a deep breath before he began and looked at each of us in turn. "Some of you already know why you've been called here so late." He said with a slight nod to Logan and me. "As you know, we have several teams of X-Men to perform different functions or to combine as a single unit when needed. However, we have recently instituted another special team that is only mobilized in the most dire of circumstances." He thumbed the control on his wheelchair and turned to the computer next to him. He punched a few keys and a message appeared on the large display screen behind him. "Buzz received this message twenty minutes ago from one of his contacts in Australia." We all turned to read it.

_Buzzkill-_

_Got those screen caps you were waiting for from the overhead look-see. Resolution sucks, so I hope you can enhance them. I'm rabbitting after I send this, so if you have any way to get me a hidey-hole, I would appreciate it. Too much to explain to trust to an email, no matter how secure you say it is. Wish me luck._

_Jazz_

"Our best guess is that someone traced her through the systems she hacked into to get us other information. I've managed to track her with Cerebro, but she's still on the move." He turned his chair again to face Buzz. "Do you have the image yet?"

"Almost boss." Buzz replied without looking up. "It's still pretty shitty, but it'll get the point across." He typed in some commands and a large picture appeared on the overhead. "Ok, this is the wide shot she sent me. According to the coordinates that came with it, this is as far into the Outback as you can get and still sustain human life." The image was dark and grainy, obviously taken during the night. Had he not told me this was supposed to be wilderness, I would have assumed it was an overhead shot of a small town from all the lights that were arranged in neat rows. He clicked something else and the picture changed. "Ok, this one was taken at four thousand feet. I want you to look at this in particular." He clicked something else and a red circle appeared around a shape in the lower right corner. "It's still kind of hard to see, but I had the computer analyze it and it confirms that this is a Sentinel." He clicked again, a new picture appeared and I gasped. "This one was taken at one thousand feet. Again, concentrate on this area." He circled the lower right again. "As you can see, that is a giant Sentinel there. But if you zoom in a little more," he clicked again and the image enlarged, "you can see these are smaller Sentinels."

"How much smaller?" Jubilee asked with a slight tremor in her voice.

"Well, if the giant ones are about three stories tall, then the smaller ones are just over man-sized, about eight to ten feet I'd guess." He clicked once more and the image changed again. "But that's not all. The little ones can attach to the big ones on the legs and torso. And the big ones fly." He indicated a streak near the top of the picture and sure enough, it was a giant Sentinel with a jet trail behind it. "I estimate about a dozen small ones can attach to a big one, which can fly to any location and deploy them." He clicked again and one more picture came up. "Last, but certainly not least, is this." He typed in some commands and the picture brightened a bit. "This is as good as I can get it, but according to the computer, this is the Master Mold. We couldn't find it on infrared because it's already so hot in the Outback that the heat signature was being masked. It also seems that they never run it at night, because it's too much cooler than the Master Mold's core temperature."

"An' no one really lives out there anyway, so no one would ever know it was there." Logan growled. "Son of a bitch."

"I second that." Inferno added, scowling. "So is that why we're here? Are we going after that thing?"

"Yes, you are." The Professor stated. "You are going as the Omega team."

"Omega team?" Alex asked, clearly confused. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means there's no other way to do this." I replied, standing up. "It means the Professor here doesn't want to take any chances or any prisoners. You're going in to take that thing out and anyone who's with it."

"Why the Professor? Why not Scott? I thought he was the leader of the X-Men."

"He is." Charles said, turning to Alex. "But I have discretionary control over Omega team. I am the only person with the authority to mobilize it."

"So how come Scott isn't here?"

"Because I don't feel that he's the right choice for this particular job. Each of you have talents that, when combined, give us the best chance to take out the Master Mold. Inferno and Iceman can work together to weaken the metal, Jubilee has a most unfortunate effect on electronics, Echo can fly silently and get close enough to set charges in places the rest of you can't reach, Logan is virtually unkillable and you can use your blasting power to destroy the exterior power cells on several at a time. You are the best team to send for this mission."

"Scott's power is exactly like mine, Professor. He would be an asset to the team!"

"Scott's power is also unidirectional, whereas yours can be used in other ways. And there are other factors that facilitated my decision. I assure you, I have given this a great deal of thought and you are the team I wish to send. If you do not feel you are the right man for the job, tell me now and I'll find someone else."

"No, it's all right. I'll go."

"Very well." He turned back to Logan and me. "Logan, as senior X-Man, you will be the field commander. Angela, I know better than to try and leave you out of this, so you will remain here as base command. As soon as Omega team has lifted off, I want you to mobilize the rest of Alpha team as well as Beta and put them on patrol around the mansion. After that, it is in your hands."

"Roger Professor." Logan said and stood up. "Ok team, get suited up! We leave in five!" The rest of the team rushed out of the office and he turned to Charles. "I want Sam or Colossus to come with us too." He stated.

"Logan, I don't think that will be necessary." Xavier replied.

"I do. I'll need someone there with a good arm an' they're the only ones for the job."

"Very well. Take Atlas, the two of you work well together."

Logan nodded and the Professor left the office. I got on the internal phone and found Sam in his studio. He agreed to join the mission without briefing. I secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Sam may not be indestructible, but he was relentless and knowing he would be there to watch my lover's back made me feel a lot better about this whole thing. There's also the fact that he was a better pilot than Logan, which would make the rest of the team very happy. When I got off the phone, Logan was still standing in the doorway.

"Lover, you're going to be late." I whispered, not trusting my voice just then.

"I know." He said and pulled me into his arms. He kissed me deeply, his hand gripping the back of my head. "But I have rules 'bout bein' able to kiss my woman before a mission."

"That you do." I replied and kissed him again. "You be careful, ok? If you come back dead, I'll have to kill you."

He smiled at my ironic statement. "Don't worry darlin'. Remember, hell itself couldn't keep me from you."

"I love you."

"I love you too." He spared me another quick kiss, then he was gone.

About ten minutes later, I heard the rumbling that indicated the hangar bay doors outside were opening, followed by the roar of the jet as it sped off into the night. I hit the silent alarm that would mobilize Alpha and Beta team, then got on the radio to the jet. "Base to Omega, frequency check."

"Omega here." Logan said. "Will use standard frequencies til we get close, then switch to secure frequency Delta." Good plan, since it wouldn't be used by anyone else. "Takin' the bird sub-orbital, call ya back in an hour."

"Roger that. Base out."

Buzz sat down in the chair next to me and took my hand. "You know they're gonna be all right." He said.

I nodded. "I know. They have to be. The people we love best are on that jet."

"I'll get us a good look-see from above so we can watch them, all right?"

"Good. Put it on the overhead, maximum enhancement."

"Roger that." He said with a touch of sarcasm as he wheeled back over to his computer. "I still can't get used to you being all military at times like this."

"It's what I was made to do." I replied simply, then Alpha and Beta entered the office. I briefed them on the situation and Scott was smart enough to keep his mouth shut about not being sent with Omega. Naturally, there were questions and I answered them as best as I could.

"So why are we being mobilized if the threat is in Australia?" Rogue asked sleepily.

"Because the big ones can fly and we have no idea where they might be flying to right now." I replied. "We have to assume the worst and protecting this school is our number one priority. We also have to be ready to evacuate in case Omega team has to retreat and they could have Sentinels on their tail when that happens."

"Do you think they'll be able to stop those things?" Kyle asked, sounding nervous.

"They'll take them out or die trying." I said and swallowed hard. "Just like I expect all of you to protect this place or die trying. This is war, the real deal. We have run out of time."

"Angela, how did this happen?" That was Kitty talking, a catch in her voice. "How did it come to this?"

"I don't know Kitty. I wish I did, but I don't." I turned back to my computer and checked on the position of Omega team. "Now get suited up. Scott's in charge of the lot of you unless he assigns a squad leader for Beta. Check in with me if you find anything so I can start the evacuation."

They all filed out except for Scott, who sat next to me. "Angela, are you sure you're up to this? Hank's having a fit over you being here."

"I know. But do you really think you can keep me out of this?"

"Not without sedating you, I'm sure."

"Exactly. Now go on, do your thing. I'm just the base command here. You're the real guy in charge."

"I couldn't do it without you, you know."

"Flatterer. Now go."

He patted me on the shoulder and went to the door. He paused there a moment and looked at me over his shoulder. "He'll be all right." He murmured. I just nodded and he left.

Buzz finally managed to get the satellite image he wanted and the view there now was much worse than the night shots his friend had sent us. It was weird to be sitting in the mansion in the middle of the night while looking at a current image of the middle of day halfway across the world. Intellectually I know that's how it works, but the conscious mind doesn't have to like it. Still, the sight was enough to make a cold ball form in my stomach.

Row after row, rank after rank, hundreds if not thousands of Sentinels were standing there, unmoving. Behind the smaller ones stood several dozen giant ones with men swarming over and around them. I heard Buzz curse under his breath followed by frantic typing. A moment later, an icon appeared in the lower left corner of the image. "There." He said. "I've set it up to record everything as it happens."

"Good." I replied softly. "I'd hate to think that we wouldn't have a physical record of the demise of the Omega team." I swallowed back the tears that were threatening to fall.

"Hey, Ang, you know they'll be all right. Logan won't go in unless he thinks he has a shot, you know that."

"Can you tell if any of those things are operational?"

He frowned, then went back to work. I simply stared at the scene on the overhead, my mind still not grasping the enormity of this mission. Even with all my training and experience, I had nothing to compare this to. I had never seen anything like this in my life and if I live to be a thousand years old, I hope I never have to see it again. A few minutes later, Buzz yelled "aha!" and the overhead display split down the middle.

"What's all that?" I asked, confused.

"That's the main file system for the central computer down there." He said proudly. "There's no power that far into the Outback, so they have to rely on solar powered battery packs and microwave transmissions. I just told the satellite to route any communications it picks up to me, but not to tell anyone." He moved to the seat next to mine and started typing again. As he did so, the display showed his progress through the file system as he looked for the information we needed. After a few tense moments, he found it. "Ok, let me see." He skimmed the files and looked at me with a smile. "Negative operation. They're still working out the bugs in the Sentinel's main systems. Looks like the one that got Red Riding Hood was the only one operational at the time, they took the safe house as a test. But when others came off the line, they started having problems."

"What kind of problems?"

He skimmed further down. "Uh, looks like their central system is supposed to act kind of like a hive mind, what one knows the others will know. But they can't get it to function correctly. They rolled all those things off the line and now they can't keep them under control in groups over three."

"Three big ones?"

"No, three TOTAL. Now, we already know the big ones can do a lot of damage alone, but if they wanted to send theses things out all at once, they'd wind up destroying more normal humans than mutants. It's a quirk in the programming they can't seem to fix."

Before I could ask him to elaborate, the radio sprang to life. "Omega to base, come in." Logan said.

"Base here. Switching to Delta." I tapped a button on the console and continued. "Base to Omega, report."

"We're approachin' the area. Any new intel?"

"Affirmative Omega." I gave him the rundown on what we knew and Logan swore softly.

"Base, remind me to tell X when we get home that this damn bird needs some missiles." He said.

"Copy that. What's your plan?"

"Well, that night shot didn't show nearly as many of those things as you say are down there, so I guess we'll hafta play it by ear."

"Wolverine, you can not go in there with that small of a crew and expect to come out alive!"

"Darlin', I never expect to come out alive, I just always do. Besides, didn't you just tell me they can't control that many at once?"

"What's your point?"

"Hide an' seek. Might take a little longer, but I think I got just the place. Omega out."

"Logan!" I cried, but he'd already cut the connection. I swore under my breath and turned to Buzz. "Can you get a lock on the jet with that look-see of yours?"

"Already on it boss." He replied and the overhead display split again. The X-Jet came into view, settling down in between a couple of large rock formations about three klicks from the Sentinel staging area. "Found a weather satellite in the area that looked like it needed a break from its regular routine so I didn't have to get rid of the other view." He explained.

"So what do the real people who own that thing think happened to it?"

"Primary system reboot. Takes about a day, so we have all the time in the world with it."

"Excellent." I said. He typed in a few more commands and the picture zoomed in until it looked like we were only a few hundred feet above the Omega team. He frowned in concentration, then typed in a few more commands until the two images blended into an almost seamless whole. It didn't give us the best view, but we could see everything and that was what counted. After a few moments, the jet opened and Omega team stepped out into the glaring sun. I watched as Logan conferred with the team briefly before Chasca took off into the sky. I watched her progress closely as she flew towards the staging area, high enough that even the sensors in the Sentinels wouldn't pick her up, but close enough that she could pick and choose her target. It took her a little while to make the flight, but once she got to the edge of the field she swooped low enough to brush the top of one of the giant Sentinels. She reversed her dive into a tight spiral back into the sky and I saw her wings straining to gain more altitude as she left the scene. Fifteen seconds later, the head of the Sentinel exploded and all hell broke loose.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**Post-Chapter Note:** Hehehehehe...now you know why i reminded you about the update on demand:) Me and my evil cliffies...:) Special thanks to Zac and Turiel Tincdaniel for beta reading...Extra Special thanks to DBK(tm) for the puppy dog eyes and extra begging for more...Super Special thanks to my readers just for sticking with it...and Extra Super Swanky Special thanks to my reviewers, who were sela103 and reeltreble1031 this time around...reeltreble - sorry no one granted your wish! sela - Angela has til August (story-time) til she's due...in update terms, that's about 21 days away! (Unless i get a new reviewer!)

**So go ahead and review! If three days is too long for you to wait, YOU could be the one to make it happen sooner!**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16.

(Logan)

I'd never felt fear on a mission before. Reservation, nervousness, maybe even a touch of anxiety, but never cold, hard fear. Not until that day in Australia.

I knew the moment the internal phone rang that it had to be an Omega situation, which was confirmed when we got to the office. I sat and listened to everything, forming a basic plan in my mind before we even left the mansion. Any way I looked at it, I didn't lay very good odds on all of us making it through this thing intact. Still, Chuck had put together the best team possible for the job with one minor exception. At least he didn't argue with me too much when I insisted another be added. If I was gonna have to face huge killer robots, I wanted someone there who could put me where I could do the most damage.

Finally, the briefing was over and I spent a few precious moments saying goodbye to Angela. I didn't need to tell her that I was worried about this mission. She's not a mind reader, but she knows me and I wouldn't have said the things I said to her if I felt a hundred percent about this op. But she needed to know that, if nothing else, I would come back to her. I'd do my best to bring everyone back, but she knew as well as I did that shit happens and there's nothing you can do to stop it.

As soon as the jet was underway, I gave the controls to Sam and turned to the cabin to address the troops. "Ok guys, this is the real thing. It ain't gonna be like it is in the Danger Room an' anythin' we've come up against before this is gonna seem like a cakewalk in comparison."

"What's the plan?" Alex asked.

"Well, it's daylight down there, so we'll have to set down somewhere far enough away that they don't detect us right away. I'm hopin' that Buzz can get a look-down for us so we have current intel, but I'm preparin' for the worst."

"And that would be what?"

"That those things are all online an' waitin' to do what it is they're programmed to do. An' there's a lot more o' them than us. So we'll have to do as much damage as we can as fast as we can an' get the hell outta there." I turned to the holographic display and called up the schematic of the Master Mold. "This is our primary objective, the Master Mold. We don't know how many Sentinels this thing can crank out at a time, so gettin' it offline is our main goal. Anythin' else we can destroy in the meantime is a bonus."

"Why aren't we worrying about the Sentinels that are already there?" Jubilee asked.

"Cuz if we can get the Master Mold out of the way, the Sentinels they have are _all_ they have an' they won't be too keen on sendin' them out all at once. We need to get rid of their ability to make more before we can take out what they already have." I pressed a button on the console and zoomed in on the back portion of the schematic. "This looks to be the only way to get in there. Our guess is that this is where the Sentinels roll off the assembly line. We need to get someone in there to hit the main reactor an' get back out as fast as they can." I glanced over at Bobby and Inferno. "Think you guys can handle that?"

"Find me a way through and it's a done deal." Bobby said confidently. Inferno merely nodded in agreement.

"Good." I turned to Chasca. "Now you're gonna be our diversion. We got some charges here that are pretty small, 'bout the size of a deck of cards, but they're enough to blow the heads off those giant Sentinels. They're magnetic, so as long as you can get close enough to one of 'em, it'll stick. Once they attach, they're set to blow in about twenty seconds. That give you enough time to get clear?"

"Should be plenty as long as I don't need to dodge anything." She replied calmly.

"What'll I be doing?" Alex asked.

"You'll be on the ground with the rest of us, backing Echo up an' takin' care of the human guards." I gave him a hard look. "I hope I don't hafta tell you that we ain't givin' 'em the benefit of any doubt here."

"I understand what's at stake here. Not all the Summers' men are complete wusses."

"Hey, your brother might be a dick, but he ain't no wuss. He's probably seen more combat than you have, bub. Hell, _Jubilee_ has seen more combat than you. So don't fuck around out there, got it? Everyone on this jet outranks you, remember that." He looked down at the floor and said nothing. I grunted and turned off the display. "Now, unless Hellcat gives us more current intel, that's the plan. You got any other questions, now's the time to ask 'em." No one said anything and I nodded. "Good. Now do what you gotta do to get yourself ready for this. It ain't gonna be pretty."

I sat back down in the cockpit area and strapped in. Sam glanced over at me with a smirk. "What?" I snapped.

"Oh nothing, nothing at all." He replied and checked his gauges. "You think he'll be all right?" He asked, jerking his head towards Alex.

"Fucked if I know. If I was a gamblin' man, I'd bet he'll go off half-cocked like he did in his early Danger Room sessions."

"He never was known for his impeccable judgment."

"At least one of 'em has a brain in their head. Never thought I'd see the day where I'd wish it was One-Eye here instead of someone else."

"But then you wouldn't be in charge, you know."

"Fine with me. At least Cyclops wouldn't get himself killed."

Sam just nodded and we made the rest of the flight in silence. A couple hours after we left the mansion, Sam took the jet back down into the regular atmosphere while I radioed back to base. Angela filled us in with new intel that Buzz got from a satellite he was borrowing and I cursed softly. Less than two minutes later, he borrowed another one and got real-time visual on our current location, about three klicks from the staging area. They would be able to see what was happening and feed us the best possible information to complete our mission. Unfortunately, any plans I'd made in the air were useless with the new intel.

I grabbed a small backpack and led the team down the ramp. The sun was brutal and I was already cursing the black leather of the uniforms. They're designed to withstand some pretty severe conditions, but I don't think anyone ever thought we'd be running around the Australian Outback after giant killer robots. I gathered the team in the shadow of the jet to brief them and explain my new plan to them. "Ok, Hellcat says there's a lot more o' those things than we thought, so we're not gonna be able to just get in there an' do our thing. So we'll have to see if we can't take a few of 'em out before we go in."

"And how do you plan to do that?" Alex asked, clearly impatient.

"We're gonna play hide an' seek with 'em." I replied. "Echo this is for you." I handed her the pack. "There's about three dozen of those charges in there and about that many giant Sentinels, so you'll have to make each of those count." She took the pack from me and settled it over her shoulders. It sat neatly between her wings without hindering her movement any, which would be crucial for this phase of the plan. "Now, the rest of us are gonna pair off and hide in these rocks away from the jet. I've got it set to take off and fly itself home if everythin' goes tits up out here."

"Define 'tits up'." Sam said.

"If I think none of us are gettin' out of this alive anyway, it'll go home. We can't have anyone gettin' their hands on it." Everyone nodded and I continued. "Ok, I want Iceman an' Inferno to go to the southwest an' find some cover there. Jubilee, Havok, you'll go due west. Atlas an' I will go to the northwest. I want us all at least half a klick apart. Echo, you fly over there, set as many of those charges as you think you can an' fly back here as fast as you can. When you get close, peel off to one of the teams. Hopefully anythin' that's followin' you will be far enough back that you can get yourself some cover while the team on the ground takes care of 'em."

"What if they are too close?" She asked, her voice shaking.

"Then do your fanciest flyin' and we'll keep 'em off you." She nodded and I took a deep breath. "Ok team, this is it. Iceman, Jubilee, check in with me when you're in position. Let's go!"

We all scattered and Echo took to the air. About three minutes later, Iceman and Jubilee radioed that they were in position and I gave Echo the go ahead to do her thing. We waited for a few tense moments, then an explosion rocked the area and Echo's voice came over the com. "Echo to Wolverine, coming your way!"

"Roger that!" I replied and looked to Sam. "You ready?"

"As I'll ever be." He said grimly and we waited for her. A moment later, she came winging overhead and banked hard to her left, spiraling down behind a rock. I tensed up, waiting for her pursuers and they came into view a heartbeat later.

The only good thing was it wasn't one of the big Sentinels. But three of the smaller ones were hard enough to deal with. As soon as they got within a hundred yards of our position, an electronic voice filled the air. "Mutants detected, powers unknown. Initiating standard safety protocols." We took that as our cue and leapt into action. Atlas picked up a large boulder and threw it effortlessly at the nearest Sentinel, but it dodged at the last moment and the rock only clipped it a little. The same electronic voice boomed out again. "Correcting for mutant power, enhanced strength. Initiating countermeasures."

"Fuck, these things catch on fast!" Atlas shouted as he chucked another boulder. The same Sentinel detected it before it got within ten feet of it and a laser shot out from its eyes and shattered the rock. We ducked back down. "Well, so much for that. Now what?"

"Plan B, my friend." I replied and popped my claws. "Colossus tell you 'bout the Fastball Special?"

Atlas grinned. "He sure did." Without hesitation, he grabbed me by the back of my jacket and flung me towards the robot.

The robot's voice filled the air. "Correcting for mutant power, flight. Initiating countermeasures." Good, it didn't know I couldn't fly, but since I was airborne it assumed I could. When I got within ten feet, a net sprang out from one of its arms, but I merely shredded it with my claws. A split second later, I was on top of it and hacking away with my claws with a primal scream. In a matter of seconds, its head fell away from its body and I leapt off of it and onto the back of the next one. I heard the robotic voice again. "Correcting for mutant power, enhanced natural weaponry. Initiating countermeasures." I didn't know what that meant, since there was no way they could change their own construction to something that could withstand adamantium. I plunged my claws into the back of the robot's neck and shredded the metal like it was paper. A few seconds later, it too was decapitated and I leapt from the body to the ground and spun to face the last one.

It wasn't very big, about eight feet tall, but it issued forth a final message that made my hair stand on end. "Countermeasures unsuccessful. Initiate termination protocols." It turned its head and the laser shot forth again. I barely managed to dodge out of the way and the sand where I'd been standing was instantly fused into glass. I swore under my breath and charged. It continued to shoot at me and I had to bob and weave my way towards it. I'd almost gotten there when it pointed one of its arms at me and about half a dozen missiles shot out of its forearm. I tucked and rolled, just barely avoiding them but one of them exploded about three feet away from me and I felt burning metal and other shrapnel embed itself in my flesh. I heard Atlas shout my name behind me as Echo came winging overhead to distract it. The ploy worked. "Mutant detected, flight, other powers unknown. Initiating countermeasures." I heard a puff as it fired a net towards her even as I sensed that Atlas was somewhere nearby. I looked up just as he picked up the remains of one of the Sentinels I'd already disabled and swung it towards the functioning robot's head. It came apart from its body and flew out of sight.

Sam was at my side in an instant. "Wolverine! Are you all right?" He sounded frantic. "Logan!"

"Chill out bub, I'm all right." I said, rolling over. I could feel the skin on my forehead and left cheek healing over and his eyes widened as he watched it. "Guess that won't work again, eh?"

"Probably not." I grabbed his hand and he hauled me to my feet.

"Thanks pal." I looked around, but I didn't see Echo, so I tapped my earpiece. "Omega leader to Echo, come in."

"Echo here, Omega leader. Already going in for another pass."

"Good. Lead 'em somewhere else, I need a break."

"Roger that."

We repeated this process over the next half an hour or so, managing to take out about half of the giant Sentinels, but barely made a dent in the small ones. Echo told us there were at least a thousand of them over there and we'd only managed to take out about seventy of them. I didn't like those odds one bit.

"Ok team, regroup at the jet." I said over the com. "We need to brainstorm."

Five minutes later, we were back on the jet and Sam was taking us up. Everyone was the worse for the wear, except me. Inferno and Iceman both had cuts on their faces, Havok was dressing a nasty burn on his left arm and Jubilee was putting a pressure bandage on a deep laceration to her right calf. Echo had gotten grazed on her right wing by a laser and was favoring her right ankle from the bad landing that came of that. Atlas had a cut that started over his left eye and went almost all the way to the back of his head. Had it not been for my healing factor, I'd have been dead half a dozen times over. We were outclassed and I was out of ideas. I turned the rest of the team. "Ok, there's way too many of them to get through. We need more firepower and we just don't have it. I'll take any suggestions you might have right now."

"How many of those little charges do you have left?" Echo asked.

"Not enough, why?"

"I was thinking, what if I flew overhead and dropped them randomly among the small ones? They're pretty close together, I might be able to take out several with one charge."

"Right now, I'm thinking a nuke from orbit is the only way to be sure." Havok replied.

I whipped my head around to face him. "What'd you say?"

"Ah, nothing, just talking out of my ass."

"No, really. I think you might be on to somethin'." I closed my eyes in concentration. Havok's power was similar to his brother's, except that he could also use it as an omnidirectional shockwave. Unlike Scott, he could build it up and release anything from a negligible wave to a devastating blast that could level just about anything. The trick would be getting him into the middle of that staging area. The solution came to me all at once. "Iceman, how fast can you move on those ice slides o' yours?"

"I don't know, we've never really tested that." He replied. "Why?"

I smirked. "I got an idea."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

We set the jet down again about a klick to the south of the staging area and waited for dusk. We spent that time patching each other up and getting something to eat. I also took the liberty of running everyone out of the jet so I could talk to my woman alone. "Omega leader to base."

"Base here. What the fuck do you call what just happened down there?"

"I call it a fuckin' mess, that's what." I replied. "Darlin', I'm sorry if I scared you."

"I just about had a litter of kittens watching that! I don't care how indestructible you think you are, I want you to abort this mission, pick up Jazz and get the hell home!"

"Negative base. We have another plan." I quickly outlined what I'd come up with. Havok was outside at that moment soaking up all the ambient energy that he could. He knew what his maximum capacity was and he was building it up until he could barely stand the pressure. The plan was to have Iceman slide him into the middle of the staging area and get clear. Once he gave the go-ahead, Havok would release a massive shockwave that would hopefully disable or destroy a big chunk of the Sentinels. Since they weren't actually activated, they should be at their most vulnerable. The most we'd have to deal with was three at a time and with five of us working on any that were active, it shouldn't be a problem. In the meantime, Iceman would pick up Inferno and the two of them would enter the Master Mold, get to the reactor core and overload it. By my estimation, we'd only have a few minutes to get clear, so Atlas would come in with the jet, pick us up and get us hell out of there.

"I don't like it, Wolverine." Angela said. "I don't like it one bit. Too much can go wrong."

"Damn it we don't have a choice!" I shouted. "We have to get rid of that thing or else it'll just roll a thousand more Sentinels off the line an' we might as well roll over an' wait for 'em to come!"

She fell silent, but I could hear Buzz in the background. Finally, she sighed and replied. "Buzz says he thinks you can pull it off, but you have to get Havok as close to the center of the staging area as you can. And you'll only have about four minutes to get clear of the Master Mold before it blows. None of this takes the people there into consideration."

"You let me worry about the humans, darlin'. The rest of the team can handle the robots."

"Fine, go ahead. I'm telling Beta team to stand down and get some sleep and activating Delta in their place. Switch to secure frequency Beta for all further communication."

"Roger that." I reached under my jacket and pulled out the dog tag with her picture on it. "I love you, darlin'."

"I love you too. You better come back to me."

"Affirmative. Omega out."

I called Iceman and Inferno back into the jet and we went over the schematic of the reactor core in great detail. There were half a dozen stabilizing units surrounding the main core and at least four of them had to be taken out to overload the it. We also went over possible escape routes for them, but Inferno said he would work on melting his way through the hull while Iceman took out the stabilizers. Overall, it was as good a plan as any and I approved it.

About an hour later, the sun began its descent and all but Atlas made our way to the insertion point. I nodded to Iceman and he motioned to Havok to grab onto his belt. An eye blink later they sped off towards the staging area. Less than a minute after that I heard Iceman over the com. "Iceman to Havok, I'm clear!" Immediately, there was a loud boom and a split second later the remnants of his blast washed over us. That was our cue to move and we ran full out for the staging area.

It was one of those scenes you hope to never see. Havok was standing in the center of a circle of destruction at least five hundred meters in diameter, the only living thing left. We knew his blast would weaken as it spread and there was a chance it would be too weak to affect anything beyond a certain point, but we'd hoped it would be enough of a distraction to the guards that we'd get there before they could intercept him. The good news was there wasn't a Sentinel left completely intact within that area. The bad news was the chopper coming in from the north, chain guns firing at the only target left standing.

"Atlas, now!" I shouted and he grabbed my jacket and hurled me towards the chopper, but I knew I wouldn't make it in time. I looked down just as my claws impacted the side of the helicopter, just in time to see Havok cut down by dozens of rounds. He'd expended every bit of energy he had in that shockwave; he'd had nothing left to defend himself with. With a roar, I pulled myself into the chopper and hacked away at everything I could see. It wasn't until I shoved my claws through the back of the pilot's skull that I came back to myself enough to grab the stick and set it down more or less safely. Once on the ground, I hacked the controls to pieces and rushed down into the fray.

From what I could see, there were only about half a dozen small Sentinels and only one giant one left intact enough to operate. The rest were either destroyed or damaged severely enough that they wouldn't be operational any time soon. I heard a whoop of joy overhead and looked up to see Iceman with Inferno clinging to his belt go speeding overhead. I spared them a quick wish of luck and ran back towards the rest of the team.

Echo had her sword drawn and was hacking away at soldiers who had been far enough away from ground zero that they were still able to fight. I popped my claws back out and slashed one open from neck to navel with one hand as I sliced open the throat of another man with the other. I looked around frantically, but I couldn't find Jubilee anywhere in the melee. "Where's Jubilee?" I shouted to Echo over the din.

"I don't know!" She called back as she sliced open another opponent. "Last I saw, she was heading towards Havok!"

Fuck! What the hell was she doing that for? I saw how many rounds he'd taken, there was no way he survived that. I snarled and plunged my claws into the chest of a soldier and tossed him aside before turning and heading towards where Havok had fallen. More soldiers came out of nowhere and I belatedly realized I could hear the sound of a troop transport over the sounds of battle. "Echo, get outta here!" I shouted into my com and spared a glance over my shoulder. She pulled her sword out of a soldier and took to the air. I roared a challenge to the five men who turned to point their weapons at her and they spun to face me instead. I grunted as the bullets impacted my body, but they didn't stop me from cutting my way through them. It gave Echo the precious seconds she needed to get away. Once they were taken care of, I resumed my progress towards Jubilee.

I could hear the sounds of fighting before I could see anything. Smoke from the destroyed Sentinels and the ruined chopper obscured my vision and the stink of blood, burnt electronics and cordite masked any other scents in the air. Men still approached from the sides and I cut them down, hardly sparing them a glance as I did so. Finally, I could see flashes of light through the thick smoke, which could only be Jubilee using her plasma bursts to blind or blast her opponents. I slashed through three more enemies and she came into view. She was standing over Havok's body protectively and I couldn't imagine why she was doing so. I caught movement from the corner of my eye and stabbed a soldier who had lifted his weapon to shoot me again. I was pissed enough already, I didn't need another bullet hole to make it worse. "Jubilee, get the hell outta here!" I yelled.

"No! I won't leave him here!" She shouted back even as she shot a plasma burst in the face of her opponent, blowing half of his head clean off.

I raised an eyebrow in surprise. I had no idea she could do that with her power. The moment was short lived, as I felt another bullet hit me in the shoulder, spinning me around. I turned on the guy who shot me and rushed him, slashing his gun to pieces before stabbing him in the face. A heartbeat later, I heard Inferno over the com. "Mission accomplished! Coming out!"

"Lee! We have to go! Now!" I called to her but she was fending off four soldiers. Her plasma bursts were losing strength and it was all she could do to blind them. I rushed over to her to assist. "Jubilee, retreat! I'll take care of 'em!"

Her breath came in harsh gasps. "Wolverine, I'm not leaving him here!" She cried. "Just watch my back!"

We fought back to back for about half a minute. She was reduced to straight up hand-to-hand and I did my best to keep myself between her and any bullets. A few seconds later, we heard Inferno over the com again. "Wolverine, hit the dirt!" I glanced up and then tackled Jubilee to the ground, covering her body with my own. I felt a rush of intense heat and heard the sounds of men dying all around us. I looked up a couple of breaths later and I saw that we were surrounded by smoking corpses, Iceman and Inferno standing atop a short pillar of ice that was already melting in the intense heat. I stood up and helped Jubilee to her feet. "Good timin'." I said and they grinned.

"Atlas to Wolverine, heads up." I heard over the com and we ducked as the jet came in to land about ten yards away. Jubilee gave me a pained look and I sighed and hefted Havok's body over my shoulder, then we took off towards the jet. The ramp came down and Atlas took Havok from me, laying him gently on a gurney that Echo had already set up for him. I stood at the bottom of the ramp and ushered Iceman and Inferno inside. Jubilee smiled up at me as she took a step to go past me, but a shot rang out from behind us and her expression changed to one of shock.

"Wolvie?" She said and collapsed in my arms.

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**AN:** Sorry about the almost-late update, but computer issues at home kept me offline until right before i came to work tonight...bleah...so, here it is, just barely making my own deadline...i can't be on much longer, so you all know who i want to thank...:) Oh, and reeltreble...you thought the LAST cliffie was bad, how's THIS one:)


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17.

(Angela)

I watched in horror as the whole thing unfolded. I knew Logan was right, damn it, but it didn't mean I had to like it. Hank came in at some point and insisted that I go to bed, but I couldn't. I needed to be here, needed to see this. If I wasn't pregnant, I'd have been on that team and he knew it. If all I could do was man a radio and watch a hacked satellite image, then that's what I would do. He finally threw his hands up, declared me the worst patient he'd ever seen in his life and stormed out of the office. I didn't care; I _had_ to see this.

I'd long ago swapped out Alpha team for Beta, then finally called in both Beta and Delta and told them all to stand down. If anything had been incoming, it would have been here by now. Kyro joined Buzz and I in the office, maintaining his own vigil as he waited for his love to return. Storm also found her way down there, using the excuse of coffee (and tea for me), but we all knew it was because of Sam. I was vaguely aware of their presence, but my eyes were locked on the overhead display. I considered it a blessing that we didn't have sound; the visual was quite bad enough on its own. I absently noted the gasps of shock, fear or grief from the others as I watched our comrades battling it out with the soldiers who'd managed to avoid Havok's blast. My heart clenched when Havok was cut down and a sudden pain shot through my belly when Atlas tossed Logan to the chopper that killed Alex. I didn't tell anyone about it though; I didn't want anyone calling Hank to drag me out of there.

After what felt like an eternity, but was really less than five minutes, Iceman and Inferno emerged from the Master Mold and I watched as Logan knocked Jubilee to the ground as Inferno shot a tightly controlled blast of white-hot fire at the remaining soldiers. It was over in seconds and not a single person save Logan and Jubilee was left alive. A moment later, the jet landed and they moved towards it. Once they were underneath, it blocked our view. We watched as it shot into the sky and out of the frame. Less than a minute later, the Master Mold blew. Mission accomplished.

I breathed a sigh and turned to the others. "Someone should get Scott, tell him what happened." I said. Storm nodded and went to the internal phone to call him down there. I absently rubbed my stomach, the pains hadn't subsided yet and I winced as another one shot through me.

"Angela, are you all right?" Kyro asked, clearly concerned.

I smiled weakly. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just been a very intense night." He opened his mouth to say something, but the radio beeped just then. "Base to Omega, report."

"Omega to base, urgent!" Logan shouted. "Have Elixir standin' by in the hangar! Jubilee's been hit. It's bad."

"Affirmative Omega." Kyro was already out of the room to wake Josh and get him to the hangar. "Wolverine, how's everyone else?"

"Banged up, but they'll survive. Except Havok; he didn't make it."

"Can Elixir help him?"

"Doubtful, but he's welcome to try."

"Affirmative Omega. What's your ETA?"

"Fifteen minutes, give or take five. Atlas is pushin' the bird to the limit." I heard him sigh wearily. "Darlin', I hope I never have to do anythin' like this again."

"Me too. Get here as fast as you can. Base out." I looked over to Buzz who had gone pale when he heard what Logan had said. I reached over and took his hand, giving it a squeeze. "She'll be fine, sweetie. She's got Logan to take care of her."

"I thought those uniforms of yours were supposed be pretty much bulletproof." He snapped bitterly.

"Honey, they are." Storm said, settling into the chair on his other side. "But only to a point. We don't know what caliber of bullet she was hit with, if her suit was compromised in any way, if she was hit where the suit doesn't cover her. There's a lot of things that could have happened."

"So fucking what!" He shouted as he sprang from his seat. "The Professor had no business sending her on this thing!"

"The Professor sent who he thought was best for the mission. The mission is what matters." Storm stood and placed a hand on his shoulder. "She knew the risks and she went anyway. She had a chance to back out, but she had to follow her heart on this one. She did what she did to save us all."

"I don't understand all of this!" He cried. "Why are these people so afraid of you? Don't they see that you're not really different at all?"

"No, they don't." I replied. He eased himself back into his chair and I took his hand again. "They see us as a threat, something to be feared or controlled. They don't understand that we didn't ask for this, that it's just something that happens. Hell, if they knew how far back we really go, they'd really freak out."

"You mean you and Logan?"

I nodded. "It's one thing to think that we started cropping up back in the forties. It's something else entirely to know that we've been around for better than a century. That would be more than they could handle, because they'd have to admit that they were wrong. They keep trying to blame it on nuclear power or living too close to electrical lines or hell, even x-rays. If they knew we've been around since before those things, they wouldn't know what to do and that would scare them more than they already are."

He gripped my hand tightly. "Better they don't know then, huh?" He asked and I nodded. "Cuz I'd have never met you and never met all my new friends here." He sighed and sat back with his eyes closed. "I really hate humans sometimes."

"So do we, sweetie." I murmured. "But until we can make them understand that most of us just want to help, we have to deal with the fear as best as we can."

"It's just so unfair. If they'd just get to know you guys, they'd know you're not bad people. Hell, you're better people than that asshole in the White House right now."

I nodded, but didn't know what else to say. Another pain shot through my stomach, but I studiously ignored it. I didn't have time to worry about it right now and it wasn't too intense. I'd had worse pains before with Emma that had been nothing more than the normal aches associated with the pelvic bones moving and getting ready for birth, so I shoved my concerns aside. A little less than five minutes later, we heard the overhead hangar doors open and we all rushed to greet the team.

Hank and Josh were waiting there with a gurney for Jubilee, as well as Scott and Sarah. I nodded to them and Hank gave me an odd look. Damn! I forgot he could smell things too, which meant he could probably smell the pain on me. I made an impatient gesture to him and he scowled at me. Before he could say anything, the ramp lowered and Buzz let out a strangled moan as Logan rushed down the steps with a limp Jubilee in his arms. "She was shot in the left shoulder." He said as he lay her down on the gurney. "Damn suit stopped it at the exit wound. I got the bleedin' slowed, but there wasn't much on the jet to stop it."

"Don't worry, she'll be fine." Josh said as he stepped up and placed his hands on Jubilee's chest. I wrapped an arm around Buzz as we watched Josh work and I could hear him muttering under his breath, repeating "please don't die" over and over again. I gave him a reassuring squeeze and we watched silently. Logan caught my eye over the gurney and I gave him a weak smile. Another pain went through me and I winced, carefully avoiding Logan's gaze. A heartbeat later, we heard Jubilee gasp. "Hey, be careful, don't sit up yet." Josh told her. "Gotta let the real doc have a look at you first."

"Let's get her to the infirmary." Hank said and Josh took hold of the gurney, pushing it after Hank. The hangar doors slid open and they hurried out, Buzz hot on their heels. I hadn't even noticed that Sam had brought down the stretcher with Havok's body on it until I heard Scott sob. I looked over and Sarah already had her arms around him, trying to comfort him as best as she could. Alex may have been an asshole, but he was the only blood family Scott had left. At least he'd gone out like a hero in the end. Small comfort, to be certain, but absolutely true. Finally, Sam finished the post-flight routine and exited the jet, which I took as my cue to throw myself into Logan's arms.

"Gods above lover, don't ever do this to me again!" I whispered harshly.

"Shh, it's all right darlin'." He replied, stroking my hair. "I'm fine, I promise." We stood there silently and I watched as Sarah ushered Scott out of the hangar even as Sam and Storm took the stretcher to the infirmary. Chasca was being led away by Kyro, limping slightly, while Iceman and Inferno supported each other. It had been a long, painful night for everyone and even though Logan heals on the outside, I knew he'd be suffering for days to come from pains that aren't so easy to heal. He'd lost someone on this mission and he'd take the blame squarely on his own shoulders. I only hoped Scott wouldn't be stupid enough to confront him about it. Logan finally pulled away a bit and looked at me. "You all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I said, not quite believing it myself. "Just a few pains here and there, nothing big."

He scowled at me. "You sure? Cuz you don't smell like you're fine."

"I am, really. Come on, let's see how Jubilee's doing." I turned to leave the hangar and another pain shot through me, much worse than the others. I doubled over with a cry and Logan caught me. "On the other hand…"

He scooped me up into his arms. "Let's get you to the doc." He said and ran all the way to the infirmary.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I woke up a few hours later tucked into the birthing bed in the infirmary. An IV was taped to the back of my hand and a fetal monitor made a whooshing sound next to me. Logan was nowhere to be found, but Hank and Dr. Owens were both talking quietly across the room. Unfortunately, I could still hear everything they were saying.

"…pre-term labor, brought about by stress." Dr. Owens was saying. "Why on earth did you let her stay up all night?"

"Dr. Owens, I assure you that I did not 'let' her do anything." Hank replied dryly. "Her stubbornness is legendary around here and short of carrying her bodily from the security office and strapping her down, there was very little I could do."

"Well maybe you should have done that! As it stands, she'll have to be on strict bed rest for at least the next eight weeks!"

"Like hell!" I shouted from across the room and started to sit up. Hank was at my side in flash, his large furry hand planted firmly in the middle of my chest. "Blue, if you don't want to lose that, you'll move it." I growled.

"I'm sorry, my dear, but you're staying here tonight." He replied and I glared at him. "I believe Dr. Owens has a few, um, choice words for you."

"Damn straight I do!" She said and looked down at me with a glare. "I have never had a patient do anything as blatantly reckless as what you did last night. What, exactly, were you thinking?"

"Hey, I was sitting the whole time!" I shouted. "It's not like I was out there beating up soldiers and blowing up giant robots with the rest of the team! I manned a fucking radio for crying out loud!"

"Your friend Buzz tells me that you watched the whole thing via a satellite feed. Angela, I can not stress to you how important it is that you not overexert yourself!"

"I wasn't exerting anything…"

"I am not finished!" She interrupted. "Emotional stress is just as bad as physical stress. Maybe even worse in your case. I shouldn't need to remind you that you are a unique case for me. I've treated other mutants, but none with the abilities that you have and definitely none with the feral qualities you possess. From what Dr. McCoy has explained to me, this gives you a deep, instinctual need to protect your mate and that's admirable. But you also have to protect your child, which is _my_ main concern. So I am giving you a strict set of orders that will be followed to the letter, or by God I'll have you strapped down for the next eight weeks. Am I clear?"

I glared at her even though I knew she was right. "Fine. Whatever."

She was unfazed by my glare. "One, you are on strict bed rest for the next eight weeks. You are only allowed to get up to eat, bathe use the bathroom and attend the birthing class." I narrowed my eyes further, but she remained impassive. "Two, you are not to participate in any more operations with the X-Men, even in a support capacity. As of right now, you are relieved of all active duty. Last, but not least, you are not to engage in sexual intercourse _at all_."

"WHAT?" I cried and Hank had to struggle to keep me down. "Dr. Owens, with all due respect, I hardly think that's necessary!"

"And which one of us has the medical degree, Miss Rex?" I grunted and looked away. "Exactly. Now, you'll be staying here until tomorrow at the earliest so we can make sure your contractions have stopped. After that, you are to be taken right to your room and put to bed. If I hear that you so much as twitch a toe out of line, you will be brought back here and Dr. McCoy will ensure that you stay put by any means necessary, understood?"

I nodded. "Fine. But YOU can tell Logan he's not allowed to have sex with me."

"Mr. Logan doesn't frighten me, Miss Rex. Now get some sleep." She turned and walked out of the infirmary.

"Are you going to behave yourself if I let go?" Hank asked.

"Yes, Blue, I'll behave." I replied, rolling my eyes. "But I'm not gonna like it."

He gently lifted his hand and smiled at me. "I know, my dear. But it's for the best, I assure you. Now, get some rest, you need it."

I settled back and closed my eyes, not expecting to get back to sleep any time soon, but I must have been more tired than I thought. When I woke up, Logan was sitting next to me, his head resting on the bed. I reached up to stroke his hair and he looked up with a sleepy smile. "Hey tiger. How you feelin'?"

"Like I've just been lectured by a very mean doctor." I replied. "Did she give you the bad news?"

"Nah, she made Blue do it." He said with a smirk. "She got called away on another emergency before I got back down here."

"Wuss." I said and he smiled. "So, can I leave yet?"

"Hank says he has to run one more test, then you can go." He took my hand and kissed it. "Darlin', I know this ain't gonna be easy for us, but we'll make it through."

"Mm-hmm. Did either of them tell you the part where we're not allowed to have sex for six weeks AFTER the delivery? Do the math, lover. That's potentially fourteen weeks of no sex for us."

"But your healin' factor, won't that take care of it quicker?"

"Yes, some of it. But there's other stuff that happens that the healing factor won't handle that much faster. Remember, I've done this before." I smirked at him playfully. "By the time this is over, you'll be humping the furniture."

"Or spendin' a lot of time in the Danger Room, takin' my frustration out in other ways."

"It's a good thing we both heal fast. Once we can again…"

"Darlin', I love you. Can we not talk about this right now?"

I giggled. "Anything you say, lover."

We sat there in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Hank came back and released me. He unhooked the monitor and removed my IV, and before I even had a chance to try and stand up, Logan gathered me into his arms and carried me out of the infirmary. I protested weakly, but in reality I rather liked the way it felt. Some of the students gawked as we passed them by, but I ignored their stares. I just snuggled into his chest and sighed in resignation, not at all looking forward to the next eight weeks of complete and utter boredom.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**AN:** Ok, no more cliffies, not for a little while at least...:) And although i had cracked up my beta reader Turiel by threatening to write some "Hot Wolvie on ottoman action", i promise, he won't actually be humping the furniture in future chapters...:) Speaking of Turiel, Special thanks to her and Zac for beta reading and doing a fine job of it...Extra Special thanks to DBK(tm) for still being a pain in the best possible way...:) Super Special thanks to my readers for, you know, reading...:) And Super Swanky Extra Special thanks to those who reviewed, who were sela103 and Dee (MidLifeCrisis...if you haven't checked out her story "More than Yesterday, Less than Tomorrow" yet, you really should...) Sela: I don't have a wardrobe for you to hide in and my closet doesn't have doors...besides, i have an attack poodle that'll stop you before you make it to my room! Dee: You forgot all about Josh (Elixir), didn't you? And although i don't explain it in the story here, he was simply unable to bring Havok back because he was just shot up too badly...in the comics, Elixir is considered Omega class (Class 5 for movieverse purposes), but in my story he hasn't figured that out yet...:)

**Ok now it's time for at least one of my other readers to take the plunge and review! Remember, if i get even one new reviewer, you ALL get a new chapter as a reward!**


	18. Interlude and Chapter 18

**Special Notice**: Everyone can thank theNightEnchantress for stepping up and being my first new reviewer to this story! Now, i know it LOOKS like this isn't early, but it is...but about 8 hours:) Enjoy!

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Interlude: Washington D.C.

Senator Robert Kelly was deeply disturbed by the information he'd gathered over the past few days. The new president had activated something called "Project Wideawake", yet another brainchild of the late William Stryker. However, not trusting such a delicate thing to electronic medium, he'd had all the information regarding the project pulled from every computer that held even a mention of it. Even more disturbing was the outsourcing of the most important part to a private contractor in Australia. The president assured the senator that this was for security reasons, that the project had been underway for months now and was ready to go online. In fact, the destruction of that so-called "safe house" near Des Moines had been a test of the Sentinels. No one could have foreseen the collateral damage that occurred. But the president was confident that these problems would be solved soon enough. Just a few glitches in the programming to work out and these Sentinels would be ready to do their job: kill mutants.

The senator's protests fell on deaf ears. It wasn't until three days after the initial meeting that the project fell through completely, a problem with the reactor in something called the Master Mold, which had gone critical and taken out all of the currently built Sentinels and big chunk of the Outback along with it. No matter, there was another Master Mold being built in a secret location elsewhere. There would be plenty of Sentinels soon enough.

Senator Kelly ducked down a little used hallway in the White House and after making certain he was alone, he _changed_. In a matter of seconds, a nondescript white male of average height, weight and coloring emerged from the hallway and exited with a tour group. Once clear, this person rushed to the nearest train station and bought a ticket for New York City. Several hours later, he disembarked and caught a taxi to the airport in Newark, New Jersey, where he bought a ticket and boarded a plane for Arizona. Eventually, he landed at the airport in Phoenix and called a friend to come pick him up.

Once in the back seat of the car, the man changed again, this time morphing into the woman known as Mystique. She looked at the other person sitting back there with a worried expression. "Erik, there's a problem." She quickly outlined everything she had discovered for her mentor, who listened with growing agitation. When she finished her recitation, he sat back with a frown.

"I suspect that this 'Master Mold' didn't go critical on its own." He said thoughtfully. "I would wager that the X-Men had something to do with it."

"I agree. But there's another one being built right now. Erik, what are we going to do?"

"The president has already shown his hand. It's time we show ours. My dear, we are now at war. Let us fire the first volley and show these humans that we are not to be trifled with."

The smile she gave would have chilled the blood of a lesser man.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chapter 18.

(Logan)

They say "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned". Whoever said that didn't know shit. Scorned women have _nothing _on Angela when she's bored.

After a week of forced bed rest, she was ready to take someone's head off. The only time she'd been permitted to get out of bed for any length of time was for Havok's funeral, which took place on school grounds anyway. I hadn't known that he'd actually had a will and that he'd requested to be cremated, the ashes scattered over the woods that bordered the school. Chuck still had a marker made and it was installed next to the one for Jean that was near the back of the garden. However, once that was over, it was back to bed for her and she was most unhappy about that.

Xavier was kind enough to provide her with a television, laptop computer and anything else she could have wanted, except the one thing she wanted the most: her freedom. If I didn't love her more than my own life, I would have moved out of that room and slept on the sofa in the study for those weeks. Maybe I'm just a masochist, but I stayed with her for the duration. As far as I'm concerned, I should be nominated for sainthood because of it.

It started exactly one week after the doctors confined her to bed. "Logan, I can rest just as well in the lounge as I can in here." She said. "Better, in fact, since I won't be cooped up in here all by myself all the time."

"Hank said no to that yesterday an' the day before that darlin'. You ain't gettin' outta this."

"Come on! What kind of mischief can I get up to just sitting in the lounge?"

"Hmm, lemme think." I tapped my lip thoughtfully. "First off, you'll have kids climbin' all over you, tryin' to get you to help 'em with their summer projects. You'll have kids from Gamma team tryin' to convince you they should be on Delta. An' you'll have Delta and Beta team tryin' to get you to finish the strategy and tactics stuff that you had to put on hold for now." I crossed my arms and scowled at her. "Then there's the temptation of all that outdoors, right on the other side o' those big windows an' next thing I know, you'll be wanderin' around the grounds. So the answer is no, you are not goin' to the lounge."

"Logan, I'm warning you. If I don't get out of this room, I'm going to go crazy. I can't guarantee you'll survive that experience intact."

"I'll heal. I always do."

"You sure about that?"

"Darlin', you ain't gonna take anythin' off of me that you might wanna use later. So I know I'm safe." She glared at me and threw herself back into the nest of pillows arranged around her. "Now, I gotta go. Me an' Rogue got Danger Room with Beta team. You behave yourself." She growled and threw a pillow at me, which I ducked easily and I left the room with a chuckle.

Now that we'd seen the Sentinels in action, we had a better idea of how they worked. Buzz had reprogrammed all of the Sentinel scenarios to reflect the new information, which was a good thing as far as I was concerned. The teams had other ideas about that, ranging from "most excellent" to "you have got to be fuckin' kiddin' me". Fortunately for Beta team, Inferno and Chasca had already seen them in action for real and were a big help to the others. I was glad that Chuck spared no expense when it came to toys for the teams, because Chasca was doing things with a new katana he got her that most people would never imagine. Good thing I'm not most people. Whatever that thing was made of, it cut through the Sentinel's armor like butter and never lost its edge. It wasn't adamantium, but it had to be damn close to it.

We'd also given Kyro a katana, because against a Sentinel his natural weaponry was useless. Not for the first time, I looked down at my own hands and the secrets they hid and wondered if I really was truly unique now that Deathstrike was dead. None of the other Weapon X files made mention of any of them having claws like ours and the thought gave me a twinge of panic. What if my child was cursed with these damn things? How do you explain to him that he's still human? For that matter, how did the X gene decide what mutation someone had in the first place? Would his mutations be active from birth or would they manifest at puberty like everyone else? So many questions I didn't have answers to. I made a mental note to ask Hank about it later.

I shook my head to clear it and returned my attention to Beta team. The Danger Room is no place to worry about the genetics of my unborn child. Kyro and Chasca were fighting back-to-back against a pair of the small Sentinels, while Bedlam and Inferno were working on one of the giant ones. Hellion and Multiple Man were going after the main objective, which was a safe house under attack. With the Des Moines incident still fresh in our memories, we wanted to make sure that there would never be a repeat of it, especially considering the fact that the Sentinel that had attacked it had also taken out several blocks of civilian housing in the same area. Whatever the glitch was in the programming, it was a big one and the new president would have his hands full trying to explain himself if it ever happened again.

This was one case where Jamie was invaluable to the team. Since he could make a seemingly infinite number of copies of himself, he could literally be everywhere at once. So Julian was providing cover with his telekinetic shields as best as he could while Jamie and his copies ushered the trapped mutants out of the safe house by another route. It wasn't long before they were all safe, the Sentinels disabled or destroyed and the scenario was at an end. The walls morphed back to their normal polished steel and Beta team collapsed on the floor where they stood. I chuckled and signaled to Rogue up in the booth to go ahead and leave. She'd promised Angela a nice long visit today and I hoped that a little "girl talk" would improve my woman's mood before I got back there.

"Ok team, get up and get to the showers." I said but all I got was a chorus of groans in response. Even Jamie was slow reabsorbing his copies, which were also lying on the floor. "C'mon, it wasn't that bad was it?"

"With all due respect Logan, fuck you." Julian replied even as Bedlam flipped me the bird. "What the hell did you have this set on? 'Near death experience' level?"

"Actually, it was only on level five. Just wait til I push it up to ten, then you'll really get a treat." I popped a cigar in my mouth and chewed on the end of it. "Look, ya got through this with flyin' colors. Can't think of anyone else I'd want goin' on a Sentinel hunt if it came to it."

"What about Alpha team?" Chasca asked, levering herself off the floor.

"Well, them too. But if we were all away doin' one thing, I know that the school is in good hands with you guys here. You should be proud." I know I was.

After a few more minutes of complaining, they finally managed to get themselves in order and out of the Danger Room. I glanced at my watch and decided to go bug Hank about my genetics questions. He was in the lab portion of the infirmary, working on some experiment or another of his, so he didn't hear me when I came in. I cleared my throat to get his attention. "Logan! So good to see you." He said and cleared a chair for me. "How is everything? Is this about Angela?" His expression changed to a scowl. "She's not getting out of bed, is she?"

"No, she's still there, still complainin' and tryin' to get me to let her go to the lounge. I keep tellin' her no and she keeps throwin' things at me." I shook my head and took my cigar out of my mouth. "It's true love, I tell ya."

He laughed. "Well, this is going to be very difficult for her. She's not used to being inactive for any reason. But there's only a few weeks left before she can deliver safely, so just hang in there." He busied himself for a moment, entering notes into his computer before saving his work and turning back to me. "Still, I gather there was some concern that brought you here?"

"Yeah, you could say that." I explained my worries to him about the baby, since I'd never had to deal with it before. My other two children had only been half-mutant and neither one had shown any signs before I left for that last fateful mission. "So, there it is Blue. Anythin' in your research to help me with this? I know we talked a little 'bout this before, but..." I trailed off and looked down.

"Actually yes." He rifled through a stack of files and came up with a thick folder. "This is the latest research by Dr. Moira MacTaggart. According to her, mutations can be inherited from either or both parents. However, it is also not uncommon for children to exhibit mutations that are unrelated to either parent. Perhaps one in four births to mutant parents happen that way. And we already discussed the possibility that some mutations may skip a generation."

"So he could come out just like one of us?"

"Or he could come out completely different, or somewhere in between." He took his glasses off and looked at me intently. "Logan, what is this about, really?"

How could I tell him that I didn't want my child to have the same animalistic traits that Angela and I have? Sure, Stryker had done his best to bring our urges to hunt and kill to the forefront, pushing aside our human natures to make us into weapons. But how hard did he have to try, really? The memories I'd been getting back showed me that I always had a strong urge to hunt, even to the point of running with packs of wolves and being accepted as the alpha male by the pack. I couldn't imagine it was any different for Angela and she's been alive almost as long as I have. I took a deep breath and looked down. "I just don't want him to have to live the way we have." I held up my hand and slid out my claws. "Don't want him to have to live with these."

"Logan, your child is being born into age where much is known about mutation. Yes, the political climate is tense right now, but he'll be surrounded by people who love him and want to take care of him, not the least of which is you." He leaned forward and I looked up. "You have to stop worrying about these things. Believe me, Angela will be able to pick up on it and she can't afford any stress right now. If I had my way, I'd remove you from active duty."

"Now wait just a minute!" I exclaimed. "With everythin' goin' on out there, we need everyone we can spare. Christ only knows what's gonna happen next!"

"I know and that's the only reason I haven't suggested it to Charles, although he has considered it himself. I will tell you that your name has fallen to the bottom of the list of X-Men to send on a mission, no matter how simple it may seem."

I nodded and stuck my cigar back in my mouth. "Look Doc, I ain't gonna go nowhere unless there's no other choice. But if the best way to protect my woman and my child is go an' fight, then that's damn well what I'm gonna do!"

"I realize that and so does Charles. And so does Angela, even if she won't like it. I just hope that nothing happens in the next seven weeks that will require your particular talents."

"Me too, Doc. Me too."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Another week went by and Angela was ready to climb the walls. She did her best not to take it out on me, but her frustration was getting the better of her and her temper was shorter than usual. It didn't help any that I still had Danger Room sessions and defense classes with the teams, which took me away from her for hours at a time. But the kids still went to visit her which helped a little and I still talked to her about the people on Gamma every day in an attempt to keep her included. The worst part for both of us was the whole no sex thing.

It should be obvious by now that Angela and I are pretty insatiable when it comes to that. It's hard to explain to anyone that isn't a feral mutant like we are, but the fact is that we're driven by our most primitive instincts, which are "hunt, kill, mate", not necessarily in that order. The first two we have under pretty good control, thanks to the Danger Room and the missions we go on as X-Men. Just try telling either one of us that we can't mate and that's where the trouble starts.

It was way after midnight about two weeks after her forced bed rest when it really began. I was asleep and dreaming about making love to her that day in the Danger Room in Storm's African savannah. I could feel the warm breeze blowing over my body, the sun beating down on us as I moved within my woman. Naturally, my body was responding to the dream and I was suddenly awakened when Angela hit me with a pillow. "Logan, put that thing away right now. If I can't have any fun with it, neither can you."

"Uh, sorry 'bout that." I replied sleepily, rolling away from her. "Can't control the damn thing."

"I know. And that's the problem. It keeps poking me in the back and I have enough trouble sleeping as it is."

"Maybe I'll just go for a smoke. Or somethin'." I mumbled and rolled out of bed. I pulled on a pair of sweats and grabbed a cigar and a box of matches off the nightstand. I kissed her on the forehead before I left, "Be back in a little while darlin'." I whispered. She murmured something back to me, but I think she was already asleep by then. With a sigh, I left our room and went out to the patio.

The sky was crystal clear and the only sounds were night birds and insects with the faint drone of traffic on the roads surrounding the school. I stood there and savored the feeling of solitude for the first time since I found Angela. I immediately felt guilty for it, because I wouldn't trade what I had with her for anything in the entire world, but this situation was quickly becoming more than I thought I could handle. To be so close to something I loved so much and not be able to show her was killing me an inch at a time and I didn't like it one bit. The lone wolf in me was whispering that it would be better to go away until it was all over, until I could gather her in my arms and show her how much I loved her. God only knows I'm not the best with words, so I've always used actions to get my point across. And now, even that was taken away from me.

I heard a sound behind me and turned to see Remy of all people coming out to join me. I just nodded my head to acknowledge him before turning back to the night sky.

"Can't sleep, mon ami?" He said as he came up beside me.

"Somethin' like that." I grunted.

"Oui, Remy can't sleep either. Be tinkin' of Rogue too much."

I looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "And what, exactly, do you mean by that bub?" I asked.

He took a deep breath and looked me in the eye. "Remy is in love wit her, you see. But he also know what she mean to you. So Remy has what you call a dilemma."

"And that would be what?"

He took another breath, looked around the grounds for a second, then down at his feet before meeting my eyes again. "Remy would like to ask permission to court Rogue." He said in a rush.

I stared at him, mouth wide open. Of all the things he could have said to me, this was pretty low on the list. "I thought you two were already seein' each other. I ain't her father, I'm her friend."

"Oui, mon ami. But she tink of you as her family. Remy will do tings the right way or not at all. So, he ask for your permission to court her, please."

"Does she know you're doin' this?"

"Non! Dis is someting Remy do on his own."

I stood there in silence and finished my smoke, the dream that had brought me out here a hazy memory at best. I guess I should have expected it sooner or later and I know what he was asking me. He wanted to take their relationship to the next level. On the one hand, I didn't want to answer him. No matter what she meant to me, she wasn't my daughter, so the decision should be hers and hers alone. On the other, I felt as protective of her as I did Angela and my unborn child. But she'd lived for so long without the comfort of a simple touch and who was I to deny her the right to everything that goes with touching? I sighed and stubbed out my cigar before turning to him again. "Listen here, Cajun. You do anythin', ANYTHIN' to hurt her or break her heart an' you'll answer to me, got it?"

"Oui! Oui, mon ami!" He grabbed my hand and shook it enthusiastically. "Remy will never hurt her! Promise!" I shook my head as he went back inside, practically bouncing. Right when I think I've got someone figured out, they go and surprise me like that. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all. I was still chuckling to myself when I made my way back to bed. I snuggled up to Angela and wrapped my arm around her middle so I could keep a hand over our baby. I kissed her lightly on the back of her neck and she stirred. "Mmm, feeling better?" She asked.

"Yeah, you could say that." I replied, still chuckling.

"What's so funny?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Go back to sleep, I'll tell ya in the mornin'."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"He really did that?" She asked as we shared breakfast in bed the next day.

"Yep. Surprised the livin' hell outta me, that's for sure." I replied as I munched a piece of bacon. "An' they say romance is dead."

"Nah, just hiding. Or forced on bed rest." She grumbled. "Gods! I hate this! Are you absolutely certain I can't go lay on a chaise on the patio today? Please? Just for an hour or two? You can carry me."

I smiled. "All right! I'll ask Blue if it's ok with him. But I ain't makin' you any promises. An' you'll have to promise not to get up til I come for you, got it?"

"Yes sir, Wolverine sir." She mocked with a little salute and everything. I laughed and leaned over to kiss her. "Logan, I know I'm a raging bitch right now, but I do love you."

"I know, tiger. I love you too. An' you are a right bitch these days. But I can handle it. Whatever it takes, I'm here for you til the end."

"Yeah, just remember you said that when I'm calling you every name in the book during the delivery."

"I've been called worse, darlin'. Ain't nothin' I can't handle." I looked at the clock and swore under my breath. "All right, I gotta go. Danger Room with Gamma today, me an' Storm."

"Just don't forget to ask Hank if I can go outside, all right?" Her eyes pleaded with me and I nodded. "Good."

I took our tray back to the kitchen and went down to the Danger Room. Gamma still had a long ways to go before they'd be ready to advance, except for Sarah and Peter. The two of them had been throwing themselves into the training since Havok's death and I know it was because they wanted to do whatever they could to prevent another situation like the one that led to his demise. Ninety minutes later, Storm and I excused all but the two of them. They stood there at military attention until I addressed them. "Ok you guys, at ease." I growled. "I know that shit's been drilled into ya until it's second nature, but we don't stand on that much protocol 'round here, all right?"

"Yes si…Logan." Peter said. "It's just a habit, you know?"

"Yeah, I do. Spent a good amount of time in the Canadian Special Forces myself. Thankfully, I forgot most of the bullshit and that includes standin' at attention."

They smiled and Storm stepped up. "Well, Logan and I can see no reason to keep you back on Gamma team anymore. There's not much we can teach you about fighting or your gifts anyway. But, to be fair, we can't advance you beyond Delta team for the time being."

"But don't think that means you won't see any action." I added. "For the most part, Delta is the team we leave behind to watch over the school if we have to go on a mission. But you guys are adults, so that means that you could be called on to assist Beta or even Alpha if there's a need for it."

"Whatever you think is best, si…Logan." Peter replied. "Damn! This is really gonna take some getting used to."

"Ah, don't sweat it. We only use code names on missions anyway, so you'll hafta get used to using those designations." I stuck out my hand and he shook it, followed by Sarah. "Congratulations, you're on Delta's schedule from now on."

They thanked us both profusely, then left to grab showers. I turned to Storm with a smirk. "Well, at least we know they'll fast track to Alpha."

"Oh, I've no doubt." She replied. "I felt bad enough holding them back on Gamma this long, but I had to be sure."

"Yeah, I know." We were both thinking of Havok again. He'd just been to the point where we were going to advance him anyway when the Outback incident occurred. I still cursed myself for not thinking about other troops that weren't in the actual staging area, something I should have considered. Maybe there was nothing I could have done to change things, but I'd never really know. Too many people had sacrificed themselves to save others and I never wanted that to happen again. "Look, we do the best we can with 'em. We teach 'em all that the mission is what matters and they all know that any one of 'em might have to pay the ultimate price for that."

"I know, Logan. But some of them, they're just children! They have their whole lives ahead of them and we're teaching them how to make war. They should be going to college, falling in love," she looked me in the eye, "having families. They shouldn't have to deal with all of this."

"I know, darlin', an' I wish to hell they didn't have to. But this is the world they were born into. Dontcha think I worry every day about the world my own child's gonna have to live in? He'll be here in a few weeks an' I don't know if he'll have a place in it. So, I'll just do what I can to make it a world he _will_ be safe in."

"You know, if I was just a little less ethical, I'd do something about that man who calls himself the President myself." She spat bitterly. "I can't believe that we've come to this so quickly."

"But you are who you are an' that's a good thing. You just keep doin' things the way you do an' someday, they'll figure out we ain't so bad."

She nodded and gave me a little smile before leaving the Danger Room. I stayed behind for a few minutes, thinking about what she'd said. It was true; if that guy wasn't in the White House, none of this might be happening now. Sure, she was plenty ethical. But I knew of others who weren't and it chilled me to think that we might have to go protect that asshole from them someday. Talk about your thankless jobs.

I made my way out of the Danger Room and down to the infirmary. A few of the younger kids had summer colds, so Hank was plenty busy dispensing meds and cough drops most days. He was just finishing up with another one when I walked in. "Logan, so good to see you!" He said cheerfully. "Just wait right there while I finish up."

I nodded and took a seat, watching as he did his thing. For a big blue furry guy, the kids sure loved him. He had a gentle way about him that was completely at odds with appearance. I know some of that was his way of controlling his own bestial nature, something I've never been able to grasp fully. But the kids still seemed to like me well enough, so I didn't worry about it too much. Finally, he sent the tyke on his way and turned back to me. "So, what can I do for you?" He asked.

"Well, it's about Angela." I said and he immediately looked concerned. "Oh no! She's all right, but I think she's gettin' ready to plot our deaths. So, she asked me to ask a favor of you."

"If it has to do with her walking anywhere, the answer is no and she knows that."

"Actually, she wanted to know if she could lay outside on one of the chaises for a coupla hours. An' she said I could carry her both ways."

"Hmm." He said, scratching his chin. "Well, I suppose as long as you carry her and she promises not to get up that there shouldn't be a problem. And we'll have to keep the children away from her, especially the sick ones. A cold shouldn't be a problem at this stage, but we can't be too careful."

"Don't worry, Doc. I'll sit with her an' keep 'em away." He smiled and I clapped his shoulder. "Thanks Blue. She'll be thrilled."

"Anytime. But we won't be making a habit of this!"

I nodded and went back upstairs to give Angela the good news. To say she was excited is a major understatement. She changed from her nightshirt to a pair of comfortable sweats and the maternity top that read "I'm fine, don't ask", ran a brush through her hair and finally declared that she was ready. I gently gathered her into my arms and carried her to the elevator. A few of the kids were giggling as we passed by, but they quickly quieted under the scowls we both gave them. We took the short trip down and I carried her out to the patio.

It was a beautiful day and I didn't blame her for wanting to be out in it. A few of the kids wanted to come over and say hello to her, but once I explained that Hank said it wasn't allowed, they left us alone. I sat in a chair near her and she just basked in the sun. I know how hard it was for her to be cooped up all the time, but it was for the best. It wasn't an easy situation for either of us, but we were doing what we could to make it less stressful.

"Mmm, this is SO much better!" She said, stretching out on the chaise. "I feel more relaxed already."

"Good, I'm glad." I replied and took her hand. "I just want the both of you to be ok."

"I know. But how anyone expects me to relax if I can't see the sky is beyond me. You'd think Hank would at least understand!"

"He does, darlin'. But your health an' the baby are his main concerns. An' mine too. I couldn't live if anythin' happened to either one of you."

She sighed. "Oh yeah, go ahead and do that making sense thing again why don't you."

I chuckled and we sat in silence for a long time, just watching the kids play. In a few short years, I'd be out there playing with my own child. I closed my eyes and tried to see what he'd be like, if he'd look like me or Angela, what he'd be when he grew up. I must have been more lost in my thoughts than I realized, because the next thing I knew, Rogue was running towards us. "Logan, the Professor wants to see us in the office. Somethin's happenin'."

"What? Is it Sentinels?" I asked as I leaned over to pick Angela up.

"No. It's Magneto. He's back."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**AN:** All this and Magneto too?? Hehehehehe...can't have too many villains as far as i'm concerned...:) Special thanks to Zac and Turiel Tincdaniel, my truly amazing beta readers...Extra Special thanks to DBK(tm) for being my biggest fan and biggest pain in the ass...:) Super Special thanks to my readers, for obvious reasons...and Super Swanky Extra Special thanks to my reviewers, who were sela103, reeltreble1031, Ineluctability and especially to theNightEnchantress...:) sela: You can try...:) reeltreble: Sorry you had troubles...glad to see you back! Ineluctability: You rock too! (If the rest of you haven't checked out her stories, "Deviant Strain" and "Anomalous Vessel", you're missing out!) theNightEnchantress: No need to beg...:) I'm glad you enjoy my stories...thanks for the review!!

**Now for the rest of you...the same bargain applies as before...if i get even one new reviewer, everyone gets an early update...:)**


	19. Chapter 19

**Special Notice:** A huge thank you to ALEX10671S for being my latest new reviewer...:) It's update day anyway, but your feedback is most appreciated:)

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chapter 19

(Angela)

Despite my protests, Logan took me back to our room before going to the Professor's office. So I got to lay there, spitting mad, while he discussed gods only know what with the rest of the team. Deep down inside, I knew it was better this way, but it didn't mean I had to like it. It _did_ occur to me, however, that if Magneto was back in play, they had to find out about it somehow and I seriously doubted that he'd sent a note to Charles that said "Old friend, I'm back. Will be attacking something somewhere some time soon. Hope you are well. Regards, Magneto". So I picked up the remote and turned my television to an all-news network. Sure enough, he was all over it.

"…the latest report from Los Angeles." The talking head was saying. "Erik Lensherr, better know as 'Magneto', the self-styled 'Master of Magnetism' has declared all-out war against the government of the United States. Here to tell us more is Richard Barnes. Richard?"

"Thank you Amanda. In a statement that was sent to several news agencies across the globe, Magneto had this to say: 'Mutantkind will no longer tolerate the tyranny of a select few who believe they have the right to decide whether we should be allowed the basic right to live. We shall rise up and take our place in your world, by any means necessary. As of now, I declare that we are at war with homo sapiens and we will not stop until we have taken our rightful place as homo sapiens' superior.' Magneto has been the subject of a worldwide manhunt since his escape from an undisclosed facility following the Liberty Island incident. Many have speculated that he was at the center of the destruction of a previously unknown military facility at Alkali Lake in the Canadian Rockies, but since that facility is now under several hundred feet of water, it is unlikely that we will ever know the truth about that."

"So Richard, what are your thoughts on this statement?"

"Considering his past history, I believe that we should take this as an all-out declaration of war. As of this time, the President has yet to issue a rebuttal. However, his press secretary did say that the President is looking into several options to find Magneto and put a stop to any actions he may have planned."

"Have there been any other statements issued in regards to Magneto's declaration?"

"Yes Amanda. Professor Charles Xavier sent a statement to our office less than an hour ago, stating that not all mutants followed in the path of Magneto and that any decisions should be weighed carefully before any actions are taken. It is well known that he operates a school for mutant children in New York state, although many have speculated that he is simply using it as a means to train his own mutant army."

"That's bullshit!" I screamed at the television, even though it was kind of true. Well, Charles wasn't training the army, Logan and I had started that gig. But still, it was an unfair statement.

"…basic right to defend themselves?" Amanda the Talking Head asked.

"Naturally, every living thing has that right. What is at the center of the debate now is interpretation of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, which states 'all men are created equal'. However, since the document was written long before the discovery of mutants, the argument is that since mutants have advantages over normal humans that it no longer applies. In which case, if we are not created equal, then what can be done to bring equality back to mankind? Unfortunately, there are no easy answers to that question."

"Indeed there isn't. Thank you Richard. Now, joining us from her research lab at Muir Island is Dr. Moira MacTaggart. Dr. MacTaggart, welcome."

"Hello Amanda." Dr. MacTaggart said, almost pleasantly. Hers was a name we'd heard a lot lately and not just because she was a former colleague of the Professor's. She'd been at the forefront of mutant right worldwide because of her expertise with the X gene.

"Dr. MacTaggart, would you like to explain to our viewers exactly what it is that caused mutation in the first place."

"I'm afraid there aren't any easy answers to that question, Amanda." She replied in her thick Scottish brogue. "I know there are working theories in some quarters that blame mutation on everything from power lines to x-rays, but the fact is that mutation is something that just happens. It's no different than being born with any other uncommon genetic anomaly. For example, there's a one in four chance that…"

I turned off the television and tossed the remote on the bed beside me. I didn't need to hear Dr. MacTaggart's take on mutation. Being a resident at the Xavier School, her papers on mutation were more or less required reading for every resident old enough to understand them. I sat back in my nest of pillows and chewed on one of my claws thoughtfully. So Magneto was back in the game and I wasn't going to be able to help out in any way. To say that sucked is putting it mildly. I knew what he'd done to Rogue and what he'd tried to get Charles to do while under Jason Stryker's mind control, and I wanted to get a little payback for all of that. But until my baby was born, there really wasn't much I could do. Unless…

I picked up the internal phone and called Buzz. "Buzz here, whatcha need?"

"Buzz, it's me." I said. "Can you do me a favor and bring me all the files on Magneto? And while you're at it, bring the files on Mystique too."

"Angela, aren't you supposed to be taking it easy? Not overstressing yourself?"

"Look, doing a little research isn't stressful. And I can't just sit here and do nothing while that psycho is out there planning gods only know what. I'll be less worried if I feel like I'm helping. So will you bring me the files or do I have to see if I can get someone else to bring them?"

"No, don't do that. I'll burn them to a CD and get it to you in about an hour, ok?"

"You're a saint." He broke the connection and I settled back again, suddenly drowsy. A little nap would do me good and it would please both Logan and Hank if they caught me sleeping. I curled myself around Logan's pillow and drifted off with a smile on my face.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I woke up a couple hours later to find a stack of notes waiting for me. The first one was from Buzz with the promised CD attached to it. Another was from Rogue, promising to come and visit me after dinner. Hank had left one to remind me that Dr. Owens would be coming the next day to examine me (fun fun). There was one from little Ryan Hiller wishing me to get better soon, complete with a funny little drawing that I think was supposed to be me and Logan with our baby. The last one was from Logan, apologizing for not waking me when he came in, but he had called a special Danger Room session with Alpha team. I could guess what it was all about and decided to forgive him just this once.

I eased myself out of bed and shuffled carefully to the bathroom to wash my face and run a comb through my unruly hair. It was past my waist now and I hadn't redone the streaks since just before I'd gone after Logan, so I had roots you could land small aircraft on. I had briefly considered cutting it off to my shoulders again, but the pained look Logan had given me when I brought it up was enough to change my mind. Still, I wasn't used to it being all one color but I had serious doubts about getting permission to put the color back into it. Once I felt a little more human, I shuffled back to bed and popped the CD into my laptop.

I was still going over the files an hour later when Logan showed back up. "Hey tiger. Have a good nap?" He asked as he eased himself down next to me.

"Sure did." I replied without looking up. "I feel better than I have in weeks. I'm sure the time outside had something to do with that."

"Well, I'm sure Blue'll let you do it again since you were so good about it today."

"Mm-hmm."

He shifted on the bed so he could look at the computer screen. "Uh, what the hell you think you're doin'?"

"Looking at Magneto's files, why?"

"Cuz I could have sworn you weren't s'posed to be stressin' yourself out."

"I'm not stressed. I'm doing research. This thing reads like stereo instructions."

"Angela…"

"Really, this isn't stressful." I looked over at him and ran my fingers through my hair. "Look, if I just sit here and do nothing, I'll fret myself to pieces. At least this way I can feel like I'm helping even if I don't find anything. Everything in here is past history."

"Darlin', Dr. Owens said you weren't s'posed to be doin' anythin', not even in a support capacity."

"I know. But she doesn't know ME. You do. Tell me, if our situation was reversed and you were the one on bed rest, what would you do?" He scowled at me. "Ha! See, you're not the only one allowed to be right!"

"I'm just concerned about you, that's all."

"I know, lover. But I swear, this isn't stressing me out at all. And I might just turn up something that could help you guys head him off at the pass. And wouldn't that be better than responding to whatever move he's going to make?" His scowl deepened. "See? You know I'm right, otherwise you wouldn't be looking at me in that tone of voice."

"Fine, I won't say anythin' to anyone about this. But if you feel even the slightest bit off…"

"I promise, I'll turn the computer off and read a nice boring book, ok?"

"I'm holdin' you to that."

I smiled and reached over to stroke his hair. He growled low in his chest and leaned into my hand, his eyes closed. I dug my nails into his scalp and he made another low sound of pleasure, then rolled over and wrapped his arm around me. I carefully put the laptop aside and snuggled into him with a sigh. "I'm sorry I screwed everything up for us." I whispered.

He opened his eyes and looked at me curiously. "Whattaya talkin' about?"

"If I hadn't stayed up all night and watched everything, I wouldn't be on bed rest and all that right now."

"Darlin', you don't know that for sure." He said, but I could hear the doubt in his voice.

"Yeah, I do. So, I'm sorry."

"Mmm, it's ok. You'll just hafta make it up to me later."

I smiled to myself, then started trailing my hand down his chest to the waistband of his jeans. "I could make it up to you now." I purred.

"What the…?" He started, but I placed a finger over his lips to silence him. Sure, we couldn't make love right now, but there were other ways that I could at least make _him _happy. And believe me, I did them all.

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Two more weeks went by and I was still not allowed to get out of bed for more than a couple hours a day. Hank had at least relented enough to let that happen, as long as Logan or Sam carried me and I didn't move from the chaise for any reason at all. Dr. Owens had no complaints about it, since I was still technically horizontal and the fresh air was doing me some good. It was also keeping me from climbing the walls – literally – due to forced idleness. We did get some bad news in that time from the safe houses. Some of the adult mutants who were hiding out in them had gotten wind of Magneto's declaration and had quietly left to join his cause. No one seemed to know how they knew where to meet up with him, but I'd wager that Mystique had something to do with it. She's almost as good as Buzz when it comes to hacking, but he's the best at what he does. He did report that there were frequent attempts to hack into our online server, but the proprietary software he'd written to protect it was still holding up. I doubted she'd get into that computer before the end of the century.

If the residents of the mansion were uneasy with the silence following Magneto's announcement, the rest of the country was in an absolute tizzy. The FBI established a hotline to gather tips on Magneto's location, but none of them ever panned out. The Professor was still unable to find him with Cerebro, which was still a source of frustration for all of us. It was unlikely that he wore that helmet of his all the time, so he had to have some other way of blocking Charles' telepathy. So naturally it didn't come as a surprise when the attacks started.

At first glance, they didn't look like attacks at all. A corporation that subcontracted to the military suffered a complete meltdown of their computer network. On the other side of the country, an unexplained fire destroyed a factory known to manufacture parts for military aircraft. In the northwest, not too far from Sam's old place, a group of Marines were arrested when they suddenly started a riot at a bar, later insisting they had no memory of even going there. In the northeast, a laboratory that developed new weaponry was the site of a mysterious explosion. Other similar incidents occurred all over, with no rhyme or reason. It was impossible to predict when or even where the next attack would be and the X-Men were feeling helpless to stop them. One thing we were certain of; it had to be Magneto.

I had personally been over his files so many times that I could recite them by heart, but nothing in them gave me any clues as to how he could be staging so many attacks in so many areas in so little time. I know that Charles has a family fortune, which is what funded the beginnings of the X-Men and the school. I wasn't sure how vast that fortune was, but it seemed as though there was no limit to it. I was fairly wealthy in my own right, since I'd been around for so long and had multiple accounts all over the country, not to mention all my profits from my bars in Detroit safely hidden offshore. But I had no idea what kind of resources Magneto had and I was convinced that was the key to these attacks. I'm not stupid, I know there are plenty of mutants out there who operate as mercenaries and are willing to do all kinds of nasty business for the right price. Buzz and Sage tried their best to find out how he was contacting them, but he managed to stay a step ahead of us.

We finally got a break about a week later, when another fire at another military-contracted factory broke out. It just happened to be near Buffalo and the Professor sent out a team to see if they could intercept the culprit before he left the scene. It didn't take a genius to know that it was probably Pyro, but Bobby wanted to go and see for himself. So he left in the jet with Storm and Inferno to check it out while the rest of us stayed behind to wait for the news. As it stood, they got there in enough time to put the fire out, but Pyro was long gone. However, he'd left a message for us burned into the asphalt of the parking lot. "_X-Geeks, just try and stop us. Either join our cause or die with the rest_". Subtle, he wasn't.

It was the first direct challenge that Magneto had sent to us and all of the teams were itching to get a piece of him. However, the President was about to up the ante and his timing couldn't have been worse.

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**AN: **Did you know that after this, there's only 3 more chapters and an epilogue? How cool is that? Special thanks to Zac and Turiel Tincdaniel for their love, support and beta reading skills...Extra Special thanks to DBK(tm) for love, support and that little bit of begging that keeps me going...:) Super Special thanks to my readers for keeping the hits coming...and Super Swanky Special thanks to the reviewers, who were reeltreble1031, theNightEnchantress, sela103 and, of course, ALEX10671S...:)

**Now is the part where YOU review the story! For the record, the next scheduled update is Oct. 15...if i get one brand-new reviewer before then, i'll update early...just think, YOU could be the one who makes all the readers happy!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Special Notice:** Ok, i'm splitting the hair awfully fine here...but everyone should thank Levanna for reviewing...:) She's not _technically_ a new reviewer, but she begged so cute i decided what the hell:) So here it is, your bonus update!

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Chapter 20

(Logan)

"…press conference in response to the statement issued by Magneto two weeks ago, the President had this to say…"

A talking head on the television was recapping the event that had brought the mansion to a standstill earlier that day. I was in the study with Xavier, Scott, Hank and a few others watching as the news network went over it for the umpteenth time.

"…have just signed a bill into law that allows the arrest and indefinite detainment of any mutant suspected of engaging in terrorist activities. The American people will not tolerate bullying by any mutant, no matter how superior they think they may be. I have also authorized the use of a new, highly advanced weapons system by the military to respond to any suspected mutant terrorist attacks. We will protect the citizens of this country by any means necessary. Thank you."

Storm clicked off the television and tossed the remote down on the coffee table in disgust. "I can't believe it's come to this." She spat. "What was Magneto thinking, declaring war like that?"

"In his own way, Erik believes he is doing what's right to protect our kind." Charles replied and I could smell the sorrow coming off of him in waves. "His own past experiences have colored every decision he's made in the past decade. However, I fear that he has become that which he hates without even realizing it."

"What concerns me the most is this 'advanced weapons system'." Hank said. "Do you think there were other Sentinels that had already been sent away from the main staging area?"

"Hard to say." I replied. "We don't know how long that Master Mold was workin' before we took it out. Anythin's possible at this point."

"I thought Buzz said there was a problem in their programming?" Scott asked.

"He did. Maybe they fixed it."

"Or maybe the President doesn't care about that." Rogue added. "If the Sentinels accidentally take out a few humans, they can blame it on the mutants they were huntin' in the first place and no one would ever know the difference."

"Darlin', I hope you're wrong about that one. Crazy as he is, I have a hard time believin' your President would do anythin' to put his own people at risk."

"No matter what he will or will not do, this still puts us in a very difficult position." Xavier said.

"Magneto on one side, the President and his advanced weaponry on the other," Scott muttered, "and we're stuck right in the middle of the mess."

"Only because we put ourselves there." I observed and he looked at me sharply. "Hey, it's true. I'm not sayin' we shouldn't do what we do, but there's gonna come a day when we'll have to choose between facin' Magneto to protect the normal people or facin' whatever the President's cooked up to protect our own."

"Why would we have to choose? There's more than enough of us to do both, if it comes to that."

"In case you forgot, Cyke, we only have one jet. No matter how good it is, it still can't be in two places at once." He muttered something under his breath and looked away. "So what will we do when that time comes?"

"Get another jet?" Rogue asked and we all looked at her. "What? The first one came from somewhere, right? So can't we get another one?"

The Professor frowned in thought. "It's certainly possible, Lord knows I can afford it, but the difficulty will be in getting one built without anyone knowing about it."

"Perhaps I can be of assistance." A deep voice came from the doorway and we all turned. Standing there was a tall, lanky man, obviously military from his bearing. His suit was a dark charcoal gray, well made but nondescript all the same. His blond hair was cropped short and he wore a pair of designer sunglasses perched on his prominent nose, a metal briefcase handcuffed to his wrist. Other than that, this guy was so completely forgettable that it could only mean one thing; he was with some variety of government agency. I growled and clenched my fists, ready to pop my claws if he so much as breathed funny. He looked at me and chuckled. "Mr. Logan, I assure you, those will not be necessary."

I raised an eyebrow, but I didn't relax my stance. "Why don't let you me be the judge o' that, bub?"

He nodded in acknowledgment. "Very well, have it your way. May I come in?"

"How 'bout you tell us who you are first, then we'll decide?"

"My name is Terrence Bennington and I'm here because I believe we can be of great help to one another."

"That still don't tell us who you are."

"I'm with the NSA, specifically the Bureau of Constitutional Integrity."

"And what the hell is that?" Scott sneered. "I've never heard of any bureau by that name."

"I'd be surprised if you had, Mr. Summers. The NSA is a very large agency with many divisions. Some are more in the public eye than others. How often would you expect to hear of a division whose sole purpose is to uphold the integrity of the Constitution?" He took off his sunglasses and slipped them into his jacket pocket. "Besides, some objectives are too important to go about doing them in front of the prying eyes of the press."

"Excuse me if I sound obtuse," Hank began, "but I find it ironic to suddenly get a visit from a government agency whose job is to uphold the Constitution, when it seems to work for everyone except mutants."

"Dr. McCoy, I am not here to debate political science with you fine people. However, I will tell you that just such a thing was on our former President's agenda. Which brings me to the point of my visit." He nodded to an empty chair near the windows. "May I please sit down?"

"Yes, of course." Xavier said. We all watched Bennington warily as he casually walked across the room. Once seated, he placed the briefcase on the coffee table and sat back. "So, Mr. Bennington, I'm sure you can understand our reluctance to trust you on your word alone."

"Of course, Dr. Xavier." He replied and I was a little surprised at his use of the Professor's actual title. Most people don't know that he holds PhD's in several areas. "Which is why I come bearing several gestures of good faith. However, before I can present them, I do require the presence of both Miss Angela Rex and Mr. Kimaru Kyrohyou."

"I'm afraid that won't be possible." Hank said. "You see, Angela…"

"Has been placed on strict bed rest due to complications with her pregnancy, I know." Bennington interrupted and I growled involuntarily. Who the hell was this guy and how did he know all this stuff? Ignoring me, he continued. "Nonetheless, I still require her presence. Perhaps someone could assist her in coming down here to join us?"

The Professor's eyes unfocused for a moment, then he settled back in his chair. "Mr. Levison has agreed to bring her down here. Kyrohyou should be with us shortly."

Kyro showed up less than a minute later and he crossed over to stand with me. Anyone who didn't know him would think he was completely at ease, but I could sense the tension running through him because I felt the same way. A few minutes later, Sam showed up with Angela cradled in his arms. Storm and Rogue moved off the sofa to make room for her and Sam made sure she was comfortable before moving to the end of the sofa and crossing his arms. He wasn't making any attempt to hide his skepticism at the whole situation and I could tell by the way he was carrying himself that he was just as ready for action as anyone else in the room. It wasn't lost on me that if this guy was some kind of assassin, he now had the biggest players of the X-Men in this room at once. If that case had some kind of bomb in it, he could take out the most important figures and bring Xavier's dream to a screeching halt. I shifted my weight to the balls of my feet, ready to take this guy out if I had to.

"All right, Mr. Bennington." Xavier said. "We're all here now. Please, explain what you're doing here."

"No, not yet." Scott said. "I want to know more about this agency he works for before I hear any offers he might have."

"Very well, Mr. Summers." Bennington said. "The Bureau of Constitutional Integrity has been around since the very beginnings of the United States of America. It was created by George Washington himself and the Continental Congress agreed that something needed to be done to ensure that the precepts the Constitution is based on would be upheld long after they were gone." He produced a key from his jacket pocket and unlocked the case. I tensed slightly as he opened it, but there was nothing in there but a pile of papers and file folders. He rifled through the stack and came up with a handwritten document, the ink faded on the parchment and laid it carefully on the table before him. "This is the document, signed by the Continental Congress, that created the Bureau. You are more than welcome to run any test that won't destroy this document to prove its authenticity." He gestured to Hank. "A simple carbon test should prove that well enough."

"I got a better idea." I said and picked it up. I brought it to my nose and inhaled deeply. No matter what anyone says, the stuff they try to pawn off as "parchment" these days just isn't the same as the real thing. And this document was definitely written on the real thing, using genuine oxgall ink and everything. I couldn't tell exactly how old it was, but it smelled authentic enough to me. "I'd say it's the real deal." I said and put it carefully back on the table.

"Thank you, Mr. Logan." Bennington replied and leaned back in his chair. "Now, as I was saying, the Founding Fathers wanted to ensure that the Constitution would be upheld by any means necessary and created the Bureau to do just that. Over the centuries, our objectives have also been broadened to include establishing a certain quality of life within our borders. You've heard of Women's Suffrage, the Civil Rights movement, the Labor Act?" Storm, Angela and Scott all nodded in unison. A wry smile crossed Bennington's face. "You're welcome." He said simply.

"Whoa, wait a minute." I interjected. "You're sayin' that your 'bureau' is responsible for all o' that?" He nodded and I scowled. "If you guys have that kinda power, why'd it take so long for those things to get passed in the first place?"

"You assume we had a direct hand in them." He replied, meeting my gaze without flinching. "A word here, a nudge there, small things at the right time can have a tremendous effect on the outcome." He smirked and gave a little wink. "Besides, Mr. Logan, some things are worth the fight to achieve them. Had they come too easily, no one would have believed in their validity."

"And no one would have appreciated them either." Hank added thoughtfully. "People today take the Bill of Rights for granted because it's always been there. It's the new laws they pay the most attention to, because of the struggle to make them laws in the first place."

"Precisely, Dr. McCoy. Now, for the issue at hand." He reached again into the briefcase and came out with another file. "We know that you are the people responsible for the destruction of the Master Mold in Australia." He said as he opened the file.

"And how the hell do you know that?" Angela spoke for the first time, sounding clearly annoyed.

"Simple, Miss Rex." He stated, looking her in the eye. "It's my job to know these things. Your involvement with the Liberty Island incident was enough that a file was started on the X-Men. I know about your involvement with Alkali Lake, Hudson Bay and several smaller operations. However, it wasn't until the Des Moines incident that you caught my personal attention, and that mostly because of the involvement of the Sentinels."

"And how long have you known about the Sentinels?" Sam asked, not hiding the accusation in his voice.

"Since it was first put on paper by William Stryker." He replied and Angela, Kyro and I all tensed at the mention of that name. "Speaking of whom, there's my promised gesture of good faith." He reached into the briefcase, pulled out a very thick folder and dropped it heavily on the table. On the front, in large red letters, were the words "Weapon X" and "Eyes Only". I reached out for it, but Angela grabbed it first. Bennington cleared his throat and continued. "In truth, William Stryker did not exist. The Weapon X project does not exist. Any personnel, from cafeteria workers to military officers to civilian scientists that have ever been involved with Weapon X do not exist. The military installations across the globe that are currently involved with Weapon X do not exist. Any operatives, past or present, do not exist. What happens to any of those people, places or things, that are contained in this manila folder, is no concern of mine, because they do not exist." He leaned forward and looked Angela, then Kyro, then me right in the eye. "Do I make myself clear?"

The three of us nodded and I felt the animal inside me rage for the first time since Angela had brought me home. I glanced over at Kyro and saw that he had black fur sprouting from his arms, a sign that he'd barely managed to stop himself mid-change. Angela was paging through the file, but her claws were all out and I could hear the faint growl that she was barely able to contain. Yes, he made himself perfectly clear. He'd just handed us the key to our vengeance.

He reached into the briefcase again and pulled out three more files, which he fanned out on the table before him. There was one each for myself, Angela and Kyro and all of them were almost as thick as the Weapon X main file. "Now, as for the contents of _these_ manila folders, I care very much what happens to these people." He sat back in his chair and folded his hands. "These folders contain all the details on the three of you, even before you were – ahem – recruited for Weapon X. I believe you, Mr. Logan, will find yours quite…enlightening." I glanced over at Angela and she gathered those folders as well. Bennington closed the briefcase and settled back in his chair. "Now that I've given those out, shall we discuss my purpose for being here?"

"I think you should." Xavier said dryly.

"As I said when I first arrived, I believe we can be of great help to one another." He looked at each of us in turn. "The late President was in the process of building bridges between mutants and normal humans, bridges that the current President seems hell bent on burning. The Sentinel program, Project Wideawake, was supposed to be the very last line of defense against mutant insurgents and terrorists. It was never supposed to be activated unless everything else had been tried and failed. The Des Moines incident is what garnered my personal involvement in all of this." He leaned forward and he gave us all a very serious look. "I'm here to recruit the X-Men to be the _first_ line of defense against mutant insurgents and terrorists."

"With all due respect, Mr. Bennington," Storm said, her eyes sparking just a little, "the X-Men are not mercenaries. We are not for hire."

"I'm not trying to hire you, Ms. Munroe. I'm offering you official government sanction as well as the opportunity to make the first step towards mutantkind being accepted by humanity. If the general public sees a group of powerful mutants working _with_ the government to protect them from insurgent mutants, it will only hasten the acceptance of mutants as a natural part of society as a whole. They will realize that much quicker that mutants are not that different from normal humans. Some are good and wish to help society, while others only seek to do harm. If normal humans really were better than mutants, we wouldn't have all those people on death row, now, would we?"

"So what would be expected of us?" Scott asked, still sounding skeptical.

"No more than you do now, except that no law enforcement or government agency within the United States will have the authority to stop or detain you. If you are called upon for action outside the borders of the United States, you will be granted full diplomatic immunity in any country where we have an embassy."

"So what happens if we're attacked by regular military forces while we're out on a mission?" Sam asked sternly.

"You won't be." Bennington said and his tone was so matter-of-fact that it brooked no argument.

"So what do you get out of all this, Mr. Bennington?" Rogue piped in. "Nothin's free, sugah."

"The answer is simple. Des Moines was a wake up call for me, Miss D'Ancanto. I can not sit idly by and watch my people be slaughtered wholesale by my own government or insurgents trying to make a point." We all stared in shock.

"You mean…" Angela started.

"Yes, Miss Rex. I am a mutant. In fact, I am the oldest living mutant on record." He looked at me with a touch of irony. "Yes lad, I predate you. By about one hundred twenty-six years, if memory serves."

My jaw dropped and I could smell the shock of everyone in the room. This guy was saying he was almost twice as old as me? "Care to explain that, bub?" I growled.

"Mr. Logan, you have a healing factor that negates everything from the common cold to aging." He stated plainly. "My mutation is a bit less complicated than that. Basically, I do not die. This was a simple fact hard learned when I was a lad of fourteen years over the winter of Seventy-Eight. That's 1778, for the record. I watched as my many of my fellow soldiers froze to death one by one, yet I was unaffected."

I looked over at the Professor, whose eyes were just a little unfocused. I was amazed that he'd relaxed his strict personal code to read this guy's mind without asking first. After a moment, his eyes refocused. "He's telling the truth." He whispered. "This man has been a simple soldier in every war the United States has been involved in. Not an officer, not a commander, just a basic soldier on the front lines defending his country."

"No, Dr. Xavier, not defending the country. Defending the Constitution, because George Washington entrusted it to me and me alone. Over the years, I've gathered people around me that I trust completely to assist me in my duty. And now I am here in that capacity because what looms on the horizon affects not just mutants in the United States, but worldwide."

"What do you mean by that?" Scott asked, his skepticism finally gone.

"In case you haven't noticed, the policies that the United States sets for dealing with mutants is usually picked up by the rest of the free world. Where we go with mutants, so shall the world. I would be doing myself and our kind a disservice if I didn't exercise what influence I have to do the right thing. I swore to President Washington that I would defend the Constitution and every American citizen against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Our President has become that enemy, but he is _my_ problem. Mr. Lensherr and the Sentinels are the ones I am hoping you will agree to assist me with.

"The deal is this. I will give you jurisdiction to deal with Mr. Lensherr and his band of merry men on an official government basis. Our President won't know of this, of course, because he doesn't even know my office exists. On an unofficial basis, you will also be needed to deal with the Sentinels. I will provide you with all the intelligence as I can, as well as with any hardware you may require." He looked at Rogue with a smirk. "Such as that jet you were talking about? I have friends in the aerospace divisions of both Boeing and Lockheed-Martin, that might be willing to part with a prototype or two for 'evaluation'. And if Mr. Summers would be so kind as to give me a list of his specifications before I leave, I believe I can ensure they will be included."

"Make sure missiles are on that list, Cyke." I said under my breath and Bennington smiled.

Xavier steepled his fingers and took a deep breath. "May we have time to consider your offer, Mr. Bennington?"

Bennington nodded. "Of course, Dr. Xavier. Take all the time you need. Either way, you'll get the aircraft. Consider that, if nothing else, my contribution to your cause." He stood up, took out a business card and jotted something on the back. "This is my personal cell number. My business extensions are on the front. When you make your decision, give me a call." He gestured to One-Eye. "Mr. Summers, if you would like to see to that list?" Scott moved across the room and the two of them left.

As soon as they were gone, we all breathed a collective sigh. It was Angela who said what all of us were thinking. "Beware of strangers bearing gifts." She muttered. I couldn't agree more.

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Later that night, I watched as Angela paged through the main Weapon X file that Bennington had given us. I still hadn't worked up the courage to look at my own file, since I still had some gaps in my memory that I wasn't sure I wanted to fill. However, the file in her lap contained the information I wanted the most, namely who to kill and how to find them. After all this time, we had the means to get our revenge on the people who had forged us into living weapons.

"Logan, check this out." She said, pointing to the file. "It says here that the Weapon X program evolved out of something called Weapon Plus in the 1940's. And it looks like the first subject to come out of that was Steve Rogers."

I perked up when I heard that name. "Steve Rogers? You mean Captain America?" She nodded. "Holy shit. What'd they do to him?"

She read a little further before answering. "Looks like the injected him with something called 'Super-Soldier Serum', then they used something called 'vita-rays' to stabilize the chemicals. He's considered the only real success from the entire Weapon Plus program."

"Jesus Christ. I had no idea."

"Me either." She continued reading, occasionally pointing out things of particular interest, mostly the current locations of active Weapon X facilities or the names of people who had been involved in our alteration and had somehow survived our escape. It didn't matter to me if the people in that file had been at Alkali Lake or not. As far as I was concerned, Weapon X needed to die completely. No one else should ever have to go through what happened to us and I would do anything in my power to make sure it never happened again.

Near the end of the file, an envelope fell out and landed in her lap. She picked it up, then handed it to me. "Uh, Logan? Can you take this to Charles please?"

"What is it?"

"I have no idea. But it's got his name written on it. I think it's from Bennington."

I took it from her and gave it a quick sniff. Yep, the only scent on it was Bennington's. I shrugged and gave her a quick kiss before heading down to Xavier's office. As usual, he called out for me to come in before I had a chance to knock. "Hey Chuck. Angela found this in that Weapon X file that Bennington gave us." I said as I handed it to him.

"Thank you Logan." He replied, setting it aside. "Have you been through your file yet?"

I looked down and shifted uncomfortably. "Not yet. I'll do it later."

"Logan, there's nothing in there that you need to fear. It is simply an accounting of who you were before Stryker got a hold of you."

"Yeah, I know. But I think I'd rather let it all come back on its own."

"There may be information in there that will help trigger more memories."

That's what I was afraid of. Not the memories themselves, but the way I might react to them. Better to wait. "I get that. I'm still gonna wait."

"As you wish." I nodded to him and left the office. By the time I got back to my room, Angela was already asleep, the contents of the file sliding off her lap. I gently gathered the papers up and closed the file, setting it aside on the nightstand. I got undressed and eased myself in next to her, wrapping my arm around her waist. The offer that Bennington had made us was still rolling around in my mind, an offer that seemed to good to be true. No matter how I looked at it, it just seemed like there had to be a catch. But my senses are never wrong and no matter how good a liar someone is, I can still smell them. And he'd been telling the truth the whole time he'd been here. I finally drifted off to sleep and my dreams were full of visions of Trojan horses full of Sentinels. Beware of strangers bearing gifts indeed.

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**AN:** I'm not gonna bore you all with all my normal thanks...you all know who they are...:) But i will answer the reviews i've gotten from ch. 19 so far...:) reeltreble: Come on now! Did you think i'd be able to go for eight story weeks and have them not come up with SOMETHING:) Levanna: Angela's not getting soft...in a way, she's like my cathartic release mechanism...whenever someone pisses me off in real life, Angela gets to kill someone really bloody in the story...so you can usually tell when i've had a bad day at work! Of course, since she's not allowed out of bed, i have to use other people right now to satisfy my bloodlust...:) As for the smut, well...remember that Logan and Angela are driven by feral instincts...so "hunt, kill, mate" are the three things on their minds the most...since the first 2 are frowned upon in polite society, well...that's all there really is to say about that!

**Ok now that you know i'm a woman of my word, let's see a new reviewer! You could get another update while i'm at work tonight:)**


	21. Interlude and Chapter 21

**Note:** Nothing special to report...next update on the 18th unless I get at least one new reviewer...for the record, there is only one chapter and an epilogue after this...:)

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Interlude: The Letter

_Dr. Xavier,_

_I assume that Miss Rex has found this letter within a few hours of my giving her the Weapon X file. If not her, then Mr. Logan will have discovered it during his perusal of the aforementioned documents. Either way, I am confident that this missive will reach you in due course._

_I feel that further explanation is in order as to my own story and how I came to be in the position I am in. In 1777, the Continental Army was camped at Valley Forge during the coldest winter we had seen in years. I was a mere lad of fourteen at the time, one of the youngest recruits in the American Revolution. Back then, they couldn't spare any able-bodied young men willing to fight for our freedom. It was during this time that my mutation manifested for the first time. I watched as my fellow soldiers froze to death one by one, yet no matter how cold I got, I simply never succumbed to it. Some months later, at the Battle of Monmouth, I was shot at close range in the chest and again did not succumb to my injuries. This would happen several times before the end of the war and I was deeply fearful that I would be looked upon as something of a monster. It never occurred to me that only one person ever noticed that no matter how severely I was injured, I survived. That one person was General Washington._

_In 1789, after that great man was sworn in as the first President of the United States, he invited me into his office. I was understandably nervous, since I had served under him for so many years during our struggle for independence. He bade me to make myself comfortable and offered me refreshments before sitting across from me. "Do you know why I have asked you to come?" he asked me and I shook my head. "Terrence, you fought with bravery and honor during our War of Independence. Many times you were offered a promotion and each time you denied the offer, stating that you are not a leader of men. However, it did not escape my notice that you should have been dead on more than one occasion."_

_To say that I was frightened by his observations is an understatement. I had hoped that no one had seen my injuries, that no one knew I harbored a terrible secret. Naturally, I tried to play it off. "You are mistaken, sir. I was injured, that is true, but never so badly that death would consider courting me because of it."_

_He merely smiled at me. "Terrence, you misunderstand me. I did not invite you here to call you to task for this. I believe that you have been touched by God for a purpose so great that He has deemed it necessary for you to survive at all costs. I do not claim to know what His purpose for you may be, for I am but a man and would not presume to know what He has planned for any of us. However, I also have a purpose that I would like to entrust to you, if you would be so kind as to accept." It was then that he told me about the Bureau of Constitutional Integrity, which Congress had sanctioned that very day. He explained that his greatest fear was that there would come a day when the man elected to lead this great country would believe himself and his own agenda to be more important than the Constitution guaranteeing the rights we had so recently struggled to obtain for our country. He feared that the sacrifice so many men had made would ultimately be in vain and that was something he simply could not allow to happen._

_I am sure that you can imagine my surprise when he made this offer to me. I had never been more than a simple soldier, first a boy fresh off the farm, fighting for independence, later a man full of fear at the thing he had somehow become. Yet he told me he could think of no man more suited to be the director of this Bureau. Who better than someone who could not die to ensure that the Constitution be upheld against all enemies at any cost? Most importantly, one who had borne witness to the conflict that gave birth to the selfsame document? He also explained that this was an office I would hold for as long as I lived, however long that may be. When put in those terms, there was no way that I could, in good conscience, refuse the offer._

_As I stood to leave his office, President Washington placed a firm hand on my shoulder and looked me in the eye. "Terrence, I do not know if there is word for what it is you are. I am certain that someday, someone will give a name to it. I also believe that you are not the only one of your kind. Understand this; whoever or whatever you are, the Constitution is meant for every person who lives in this country, regardless of who or what they are. You fought bravely for our independence from British rule. You are now charged to continue that fight for any citizens who feel their country is not serving them. I know that you will make me proud." He then shook my hand and I took my leave, and my first steps into a purpose much greater than myself._

_It wouldn't be until a century and a half later that the word "mutant" would be used to describe people with powers or abilities that were not explainable by simple science. By then, the BCI had grown from just myself to a staff of several dozen people, all of which were people I recruited personally and trusted implicitly. Unlike other agencies, the BCI has never had a security leak of any sort, has never had an agent turn against it and is the only agency to have access to absolutely every scrap of information gathered by any other government agency. As I told you before, Dr. Xavier, it is my job to know. So, as soon as the word "mutant" cropped up in relation to humans with extra abilities, I made it my job to know all about them. It soon became apparent that this was what President Washington had told me all those years ago when he said that someone would put a name to what I was._

_During World War II, President Roosevelt officially made the BCI a division of the Armed Forces Security Agency. He also officially buried the BCI, making it the only government agency that truly does not exist. When he took this action, he told me his reasons behind it. "Terrence, you have performed admirably for decades in this capacity. However, it is time for you and your people to move under the radar of the rest of the government. Our world is changing much faster than anyone could have predicted and I believe there will come a day when you will have to exercise the full rights of your office. From this day forward, no one will know of the existence of your Bureau with the sole exception of the director of AFSA. That person will be required to sign a non-disclosure agreement, binding him to never speak of your office to anyone. To do so will be considered an act of treason. The work you do is too important to let anyone else know about it, even my successors. From this day forward, the BCI will exist in complete secrecy. I will never call on you again."_

_He was as good as his word. He never did call on us again personally, although we continued to feed him intelligence that was gathered on the war and certain key figures. When Hitler was finally taken out, that was us. Every single war criminal that has been found in the ensuing years from that particular conflict, was found by us. Years later, when the hysteria surrounding Communism was suddenly and inexplicably brought to an end, that was us. It would take a much longer letter than this to enumerate the many things the BCI has done to ensure the Constitution remains upheld the way it was written so long ago._

_In the 1950's, the AFSA evolved into the National Security Agency and the BCI evolved with it. By then, the scientific community had begun releasing information on the new class of people called mutants. It was no surprise to me that the general public all over the world met this news with fear and suspicion. After all, why would these people with superhuman strength or the power to read minds all of a sudden crop up? There had to be a reason, some way to explain these things. Some people blamed it on the testing of the atomic bomb that had ultimately been dropped at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Others blamed it on x-rays. Very few people, even in the scientific community, accepted mutation as a natural leap in evolution. It was because of this growing suspicion that I was called into the office of Lieutenant General Ralph J. Canine, the first director of the NSA._

_It had not escaped his notice that I had served as the head of the BCI since its inception. He confronted me with this information and attempted to demand my resignation on the grounds that a mutant should not be in charge of any agency intended to protect the American people. I had anticipated this and thus brought with me the original document that I had signed next to George Washington ensuring my position for life and told him he should feel free to have it authenticated if he so desired. He agreed, but only if I would agree to remain in a holding cell until such time that the authentication was complete. Three days later, I was released, the document returned to me and I was escorted again to the General's office. He understood that a Presidential order, no matter how old it is, could not be countermanded except by the President himself. However, since he'd been required to sign the non-disclosure agreement, he was bound by his own hand to never tell anyone about my agency and that included the President. Realizing that my agency was the real power behind his own, he reluctantly let me go. That was the only time in my very long life that my authority has ever been questioned._

_I shall not bore you with all the details of the past fifty or so years, as you are probably as aware of the things that have happened as I am. Civil rights, Watergate, the end of Apartheid, so many things have been taken care of because of the work of my office. And now, the present day and the conflict that we are now facing. Dr. Xavier, I do not wish to see my country torn apart by another civil war. But with the actions of Mr. Lensherr and the actions of our own President, I fear that civil war is inevitable unless you and your team of heroes are willing to help me and my Bureau put an end to things before they can truly begin. I am not trying to manipulate you and yours into doing anything you do not wish to do. I am simply doing what I have always done and that is to find that which will help me to perform my duties to the best of my ability. I am offering you and your X-Men the opportunity to show the United States and the world that not all mutants are simply terrorists waiting to happen. Just like there are good and bad normal humans, there are good and bad mutants. Who better to defend the American people against mutants than other mutants? And who better to make the chosen defenders than the X-Men?_

_Dr. Xavier, I will ask that you show this letter to anyone you feel needs to see it, then I implore you to destroy it. You are the only person to whom I have ever revealed this much about who I am and what my office does, simply because we are the same. We are mutants. But the information in this letter is too sensitive to allow it to remain intact. If I may suggest that you allow Mr. Levison to read it, I believe you would no longer require the hard copy anyway. Please, consider my offer and accept my assurances that there are no hidden plans, no secret agendas and that your X-Men will never be called upon to do anything that is counter to your own personal mission. If we work together, I believe that we can make this a world where mutants and humans can co-exist in peace._

_Regards,_

_Terrence Bennington_

_Director, BCI_

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chapter 21

(Angela)

Three days later, everyone who had been present at the meeting with Mr. Bennington met again in mine and Logan's room, so that I didn't have to get up and we could still talk in relative privacy. It was a little crowded, but it was important to Charles that we all have a say in this decision. He began by showing us the letter that Bennington had left in the Weapon X file. After we'd all had a chance to read it, Charles told us his decision.

"I've decided to accept Mr. Bennington's offer." He said. "I did not delve too deeply into his mind, but what I did see leads me to believe that he only has our best interests in mind."

"How can you be so sure?" Logan asked, clearly still skeptical about the whole thing. "He's with a government agency that's buried so deep, only one person who doesn't work with 'em directly even knows they exist."

"I understand your reluctance, Logan. However, it is a fact that our jobs will be made much easier if we no longer have to concern ourselves with complete secrecy."

"I'm sorry Charles, but I don't think I'm ready to come forward and tell everyone who I am." I said. "I've spent way too much time keeping that hidden."

"I'm not asking anyone to reveal their true identities to anyone outside of this school." He replied. "Those who wish to may do so and with my blessing. But there is a reason we have always used code names and it's not just to be clever. There has always been the possibility of outside forces intercepting our radio signals and the use of code names protects our identities. But if we were able to move openly, even just to land the jet, it would make our jobs much easier."

I slid out the claw on my thumb and chewed on it thoughtfully. I could see his point, but secrecy was deeply ingrained in me for as long as I could remember. For the first time since I was put on bed rest, I felt a slight twinge in my stomach and I winced. "Fine. I can respect that. But we've been able to operate without government sanction for this long. Surely we don't need it now?"

"On the contrary," Hank spoke up, "I think now is exactly when we need it most. The President has grown extremely paranoid since Magneto's declaration. It is only a matter of time before he changes his mandate from 'suspected mutant terrorists' to 'suspected mutants' to simply 'mutants'. Perhaps if he could see a group of mutants willing to protect him and the American people from threats within their own ranks, he would be less inclined to escalate."

"Yeah and I'm the friggin' Pope." Logan growled and the Professor glared at him. "What? I'm just sayin'."

"I know, Logan. But we are being given the perfect opportunity to make a real difference, not just for mutants but for all people. It would be foolhardy of us not to take advantage of it."

"Do you think he'd agree to some conditions?" Rogue asked.

"What do you have in mind?"

"Well, if this guy is as powerful as he says he is, can't he just make sure we're kept secret? Keep us off the news and out of the papers?"

"I don't think that would be an unreasonable request. I'll be sure to mention it to him. Is there anything else?"

"Yeah, there is." I said and pulled my laptop out. "This guy says it's his job to know. Well, now it's our job to know too. I want to make sure that we get every scrap of information on any current threats, human or mutant. If we're gonna help him protect the Constitution and the country, then I want to protect it from everything, not just our own kind."

"Angela, I think you may be overreacting…"

"No, I'm not!" I cut him off sharply. "A terrorist is a terrorist, no matter what his or her origins. I'm not saying we should hunt down every murderer, rapist and child molester on the planet, but if there's some crazy motherfucker with a bomb threatening to blow up a hotel or some asshole holed up in a bell tower with a rifle, who better to send than people who can't be killed?" I looked at Logan and Kyro, who nodded in agreement. "Or people who are bulletproof in the first place? Yeah, this is an opportunity to show the world that we're not all bad. But they also need to remember that their own kind aren't always so great either."

"Very well. If there's nothing else?" We all shook our heads and he pulled Bennington's card out of his pocket. "I believe I have a call to make." He wheeled over to the nightstand, picked up the external line and dialed the number. After a slight pause, he spoke. "Yes, Mr. Bennington, Charles Xavier here…yes, we've talked it over at great length…we have decided to accept your offer…we do have a few conditions of our own…I would prefer to discuss them in person, if you please." He made a motion indicating he needed a pen and paper, which I handed him. "Yes, of course…three pilots? Very well, that won't be an issue…Thank you, Mr. Bennington." He hung up the phone and tore the paper off the pad. "He seemed most enthusiastic at our response." He said with a smile.

"What's that about needing three pilots?" Sam asked.

"It appears that he's managed to procure _two_ more aircraft for us. Sam, I will need you, Scott and Storm to come with me. Logan, Rogue, Kyro if you would be so kind as to accompany us as well."

"Of course Professor." Rogue said and the six of them exited the room, leaving Logan and I alone.

I looked at him and sighed. "Now you get to go have all the fun again." I said and he smirked at me.

"Nah, I'm sure it'll be a borin' trip. Besides, you only have one more week of bed rest, then you can run around like a madwoman all you want."

"Sure, for about day before I finally get to have this baby." I rubbed my stomach absently and Little Wolvie kicked in response. "I can hardly wait."

"Mm, me either tiger." He kissed me and held me close for a moment. "I love you darlin'. Be back before you have time to miss me."

"Not possible." I said and he smiled and winked before leaving the room. I settled back on the bed and kept rubbing my stomach. "You hear that? Your daddy's gone off on another adventure. At least this one's easy enough, just going to get some airplanes for us." The baby kicked again and I smiled. "Yeah, I know. I hate flying too. But for all I know, flying is something you can do without a plane. Angel and Chasca would love that, so would Sofia for that matter." He kicked me again and I felt him settle into a new position. "Getting ready for a nap? Sounds like a plan. I think I'll join you." I rolled onto my left side and closed my eyes. So many things had happened so fast over the past couple of months. Maybe this Bennington was right after all and he could make our job easier. And maybe, just maybe, we could make the world safe for my baby.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I awoke a couple hours later to the sound of several jets coming in to land. I yawned and stretched, then slightly disobeyed doctor's orders and shuffled to the window. Sitting on the lawn next to the basketball court were a couple Lockheed-Martin jets that made our Blackbird look like a Cessna. They were about half again larger and I could just make out missile launchers under the wings. As much as I hate to fly, I was still itching to go out there and crawl all over them, just to see what they could do. I watched as Logan and Sam exited one of them, both of them making sweeping gestures and grinning. I slowly moved away from the window and laid back down to wait for my lover to come back to the room.

He arrived a few minutes later and I could tell that he was thrumming with excitement. "Darlin', you might just change your mind about flyin'."

"I seriously doubt that." I replied. "See, it's the whole being up in the air in something not connected to the ground that I hate."

"You shoulda seen Scooter's face when he saw those things. Man, I thought he was gonna have raptures for hours! An' I got my way on the missiles." He settled in next to me and I snuggled up to his side. "There's EMP missiles, bunker busters, sidewinders an' a couple experimental ones with no metal in 'em."

"What'd he have to say about our conditions?" I asked, breathing in his scent.

"Agreed to 'em right away. Said keepin' us off the radar is no problem at all. So your secret will be safe forever."

"He does know that you, me and Kyro are probably gonna be around about that long, right?"

He nodded. "Yeah, he does. In fact, the Professor told him that as long as one of us was with the team, our agreement will stand as is." He looked at me and smirked. "I think that he's plannin' on us always bein' around."

"I doubt that." I replied. "Eventually, mutants will be accepted and we won't have to hide anymore." Logan snorted and I looked up at him. "Yeah, I don't believe it either. Besides, Scott will eventually be in charge of the school and I can't see you staying here any longer than we have to one that happens."

"Ya know, if Chuck was smart, he'd turn the place over to you someday."

"Never happen. If not Scott, he'll give it over to Storm."

"Sure, I know that. But they ain't gonna be around forever. We are, or at least close enough that it don't matter. An' by the time it becomes a factor, we'll have gotten rid of the Weapon X project once an' for all." He wrapped his arms around me and kissed the top of my head. "If we can't do that in the next thirty years, then we ain't nearly as good at what we do as we think we are."

"Oh, thirty years should be more than enough time, lover." Little Wolvie kicked just then, hard enough that Logan felt it too, which made him jump in surprise. "Yeah, he's been really active today. I think he wants to get out of bed too."

"Ya know, we can't keep callin' him 'Little Wolvie'. We'll need a real name soon."

I nodded. "I know. I've thought about it, but I didn't want to make any decisions without you."

"Well, what've you come up with?" He asked as we settled in.

"First off, it's not easy coming up with a name that someone else around here doesn't already have." I said. "So I already threw out anything like Jesse, Julian, Kyle or Robert."

"Between me an' you, I don't like any of those names anyway." He thought for a moment before speaking again. "What do you think of Ian?"

"Ian? No, I don't like it. It doesn't feel right. Hmmm. What about Stefan?"

"Uh-uh. Sounds too girly to me." I slapped him playfully and he chuckled. "What about Connor?"

"Connor?" I tried the name in my head, rolling it around a few times. "I like it. Connor James."

"James?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, after his daddy. Connor James Logan." He looked at me, his expression almost soft. "What, you didn't think I'd give him my last name, did you? And I didn't think you'd want to use 'Howlett'."

"Just when I think I got you figured out, you go an' surprise me." He kissed me softly, then smiled. "All right, Connor James Logan it is."

"So, what about a girl's name?" I asked and he stared. "Look, we never asked what sex the baby was and it's still possible for it to be a girl. So we better have one ready just in case."

He sighed. "I just really want a boy, you know."

"All men do. But we have to be prepared for anything."

"Fine. How about Mary?"

"Ick, too boring. I want something special but not trendy. How about Samantha?"

He shuddered. "I think we have enough Sams runnin' around here, don't you?" I giggled and he smiled. "What about Veronica?"

"I am _not_ naming this baby after a comic book character." I said and he laughed. "How about Genevieve? We could call her Evie for short."

"Now that I like!" He said. "What about a middle name?"

"Well, that's an easy one. Marie." I replied. "I can't think of anyone else I'd rather honor than our Rogue."

"Genevieve Marie. Yeah, it fits."

"So we've decided then. Connor James Logan if it's a boy, Genevieve Marie Logan if it's a girl."

We smiled at each other and he kissed me again. "I love you, tiger." He said. "You've made me happier than I ever thought I could be."

"If anyone deserves it, it's you." I replied, cupping his face with my hand. "With everything that's happened to both of us, it surprises me sometimes that we're still able to love."

"I know, darlin'. An' I ain't gonna say it's been easy for me. But you're mine, my mate for life. I couldn't have asked for anyone better."

"Better stop that or you'll make me cry." I said and he gathered me into his chest. I sighed in contentment, a feeling I hadn't had in a very long time. Of course, it didn't last. With lives like ours, it never does.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Four days later, Buzz received a coded message on our secure server. The reason it stands out is because it wasn't from any of the safe houses, but from Bennington's agency. It was very short and to the point.

_My office just intercepted a message from Magneto outlining plans to hit the DC Metro during the ceremony that officially opens the new Silver Line. The President will be the first passenger of the line and except for Secret Service agents, will be the only person on the train. The tracks between Dulles and Metro Center will be closed to all traffic except this train. We believe he intends to hit the train somewhere between its starting point and Metro Center, but exactly where was not included in the message. Good luck and Godspeed._

Logan rushed into our room and filled me in on the situation. I looked up at him with a touch of anxiety. "You're not going, are you?"

"Darlin', I have to." He replied. "If it was just Mags, Mystique and Pyro, then I wouldn't go. But we got no idea what other mutants are gonna be there and we need to be ready for anythin'."

"Who else is going?"

"Storm, Cyclops, Inferno, Colossus, Bedlam and Shadowcat in Blackbird One. Atlas, Echo, Totem, Nightcrawler and Gambit in Blackbird Two. Besides me."

"Lover, I don't want you to go." I pleaded. I'd been feeling off for a couple hours, little cramps and twinges in my back and stomach, but I hadn't said anything because they didn't feel much different from the pains and twinges I'd been having for a couple days.

"I have to. I have a responsibility…"

"…to use your gifts to help people." I finished for him. "Damn it, why do you have to throw my own words back at me?"

"Because you know I'm right. And you know you would insist on goin' if you could." I nodded and he kissed me. "Don't worry, Rogue wanted to go, but I'm makin' her stay here with you. Jubilee too. An' Hank's gonna be here if you need anythin', not to mention Xavier."

He kissed me again and I grabbed him and held him close for a long moment. "I love you, Logan. Come back to me."

"I will, tiger. Hell itself, remember?" I nodded and he gave me a tight squeeze before rushing out of our room.

A few minutes later, I heard the sound of the jets taking off and sent a quick plea to the gods to keep them all safe. At the speeds those jets could go, they should be there in under half an hour. I tried like hell to keep myself busy, first by perusing the Weapon X files, then reading a mystery book. After forty-five minutes, as I was still trying to read the same page for the tenth time, I growled and threw the book across the room in frustration. I did the math in my head and today was my last day on bed rest anyway. Screw what Hank had to say, I was going to the security office to monitor the situation.

I grabbed some clothes and padded carefully to the bathroom to change and brush my hair. When I came back out, lightning cracked the sky followed by a boom of thunder and the lights flickered in the mansion. Oh great, just what we needed on a night like this, a thunderstorm. And with our weather goddess nowhere to be found, we'd have to ride it out until she got back. Rain pelted the window and I could tell that this was going to be one hell of a storm. I went to the bedroom door and pressed my ear against it, but I couldn't hear anyone in the hallway. I eased the door open and peered both ways, but the hall was empty. So far, so good. I padded to the back stairs, which no one really used because they were narrow and a little dusty and carefully made my way down, pausing every time I heard the slightest sound. I might be as big as a house, but I was still the stealthiest person next to Kitty in the mansion. Once I got to the first floor, I paused again and listened for signs of activity. I could just make out the television in the lounge and the sounds of kids laughing as they played various games. I would have to be very cautious to get past them.

I slipped out of the stairwell and used the columns that lined the hallway as cover to get past the lounge. I paused whenever another bolt of lightning would flicker beyond the windows, then moved when the sound of thunder would mask any sounds that anyone may pick up, unlikely as that was. I finally made it to the stairs that would take me to the lower levels and slipped through the door undetected. I carefully made my way down these stairs, pausing twice when the lights flickered again in response to the storm that was raging outside. I made it to the door that would lead me into the hallway near the security office and pressed my ear against it. I heard nothing, so I cautiously opened the door and took a quick look around. I caught a flash of blue as Hank reentered the infirmary and I breathed a quick sigh of relief before sneaking down the hall and into the security room.

Buzz looked up as I entered and scowled at me. "Angela, you are so busted!" He cried.

"Shut the fuck up. One day won't make any difference. And I can't just sit there and wait. I promise, I won't do anything but sit here, watch and listen all right?"

"No, it's not all right!" He said. "Logan will KILL me if anything happens to you!"

"And I'll kick the crap out of you myself if you say anything to anyone." I met his eyes with an icy stare. "I'm sorry, but I have to do this. Please, I'll behave I promise."

He grumbled at me, but pulled out the most comfortable chair in the office and placed another one in front of me to rest my feet on. "Fine. But I want it noted that I am doing this under protest, got it?"

"Sure thing. So, what's going on?"

He typed some commands into the computer and the overhead display sprang to life. After typing a few more, the screen split itself into thirds and each section showed a portion of the DC Metro system. "Ok, the President is in the train here," he indicated with the mouse cursor, "and his train just left the station. By my calculations, Magneto will most likely hit it either here," he pointed to a spot where the train would be above ground near one of the stations, "or here, where it uses the same tracks as the Orange line."

I peered at the display, frowning. "My money's on the second one. The train's aboveground for a good amount of time and it's the most public place he could do this."

"Yeah, me and Logan thought so too." He zoomed in on that section and indicated an area with his cursor. "You can't see it, but Blackbird Two is right here. Logan and his team are already in position, but we still haven't spotted Magneto."

"You won't until he's ready to move." I murmured. Magneto wasn't the kind of guy to put himself in the front line until it was absolutely necessary. He'd send those he considered expendable into the fray first, only appearing at the end to deliver the final blow to the person he considered the main target: the President. "He'll be somewhere close enough to stop the train with his power, but he'll send others in to clear the way before he shows himself."

Buzz nodded and we watched the display closely. After a few more minutes, the President's train came into view. It cleared the first two stations and was almost within the third one when right on cue, sparks flew from the wheels of the train as it came to a screeching halt and I could see movement within the train as Secret Service agents covered the windows and the door at the back of the train. Less than five seconds later, figures swarmed out of the cover of the station and over the train. I heard shots ring out as they burst through the windows, the assault beginning in earnest.

I sat at the edge of my seat, wondering where the X-Men were when I saw someone grab the last car and detach it from the rest of the train. Without prompting, Buzz zoomed the image in a little more and I saw it was Atlas. A moment later, Logan's voice came over the com. "Wolverine to base, we are engaged."

"Copy that, Wolverine." Buzz replied and I smiled. He'd picked up a lot since he'd been here. "Currently looking down. Eagle One is at the front of the train, get someone there to cover and assist."

"Roger Base. The rest of Alpha is on the way."

"Roger, Wolverine. Will report when primary target is acquired. Base out."

Half a minute later, the jet we now called Blackbird One came into view, landing just behind the now detached back car. Atlas was engaged in a fight with two other mutants, one of which moved so fast that she was all but impossible to track visually. Echo was darting in and out from above, slicing at enemies with both her sword and the claws on her feet, turning suddenly when another flyer came up behind her. The two of them locked in an aerial combat, which she quickly turned to her advantage by viciously locking her teeth into his shoulder and carrying him aloft at an amazing speed. Gambit was tossing his trademark playing cards into groups of mutants who were trying to overwhelm the Secret Service agents inside the train, blowing them off their feet. Nightcrawler was bamfing into the train, grabbing enemies and bamfing back out with them, finishing them off with quick but precise blows. Totem was fending off four mutants, one of which had spikes protruding from his body and was tossing them out like a porcupine. Another could elongate her limbs and was attempting to entangle his feet. However, Totem was in his feral form and his agility was such that he managed to avoid her attacks while making quick work of the others.

I didn't see Logan anywhere until movement on top of the train near the front caught my eye. He was engaged in a pretty serious looking fight with a mutant who was damn hard to see, until a flash of light from the ground illuminated her and I saw it was Mystique. I knew he had kind of a grudge against her and he wasn't holding back on her in the slightest. She was relying on her awesome agility to keep her out of reach of his claws, but he surprised her by waiting for her to perform one of her more acrobatic dodges, grabbed her right out of the air and slammed her to the roof and pinning her there with his claws. Her eyes registered shock as he stabbed her two more times before kicking her over the edge. Still, that was no guarantee that she was dead. After all, she'd survived his claws once before.

He crouched down and sliced the top of the train open, creating a hatch for himself to get in and dropping down. His voice came over the com again. "Mr. President, I'm here to protect you." He said.

The com was sensitive enough to pick up the reply. "You're a mutant!" He cried. "Get away from me!"

"Sorry, can't do that. Got a job to do an' I'm gonna do it."

"I don't need your help, freak! I have my own protection!"

"With all due respect, they ain't gonna be worth dick once Magneto shows up." I wished I could see the President's face, but I would have to wait until Logan got home to find out exactly what happened there. I leaned forward to watch the rest of the action when a pain shot through my stomach. Oh hell no. I took a deep breath and did my best to ignore it. After a little more argument, the com fell silent again.

The rest of the team had arrived by then and they'd made quick work of the mutants that remained outside. Some of them got away, melting into the shadows or using other powers to avoid detection. Some were restrained and still others lay on the ground, unmoving. I couldn't tell if they were knocked out or dead, but it didn't matter to me. Only two people hadn't shown their faces yet and I waited for them to appear. It wasn't until I saw Echo's sword fly from her hands and Kyro plastered to the side of the train that I knew Magneto had finally arrived. A moment later, a huge gout of flame enveloped the train. Pyro was with him.

Magneto set himself down on top of the train and stood there imperiously. I wished I could hear what he said, but that just wasn't possible. Pyro made sure the fire never got close to Lensherr as he made his way towards the front where the President and Logan were. I held my breath, knowing that Magneto would not hold back from hurting my lover as much as he could. Another pain shot through me and I gasped.

"Angela, you all right?" Buzz asked.

"I'm fine, don't worry about me." I snapped and he turned back to the computer. I looked back at the display just in time to see Inferno come out and the fire that surrounded the train weakened and finally died. Pyro whipped his head around and shouted something before lobbing another volley of flame. I looked closely and it appeared that he'd done away with the lighter I'd heard so much about from Bobby and now had some kind of igniter built into his gloves. Inferno just laughed and walked into it, shouting something back. Since neither one of them could be harmed by fire, this was a duel that would take forever if it came down to it. Still, Pyro continued to lob huge balls of fire towards the train in an attempt to burn out any Secret Service agents still inside and Inferno absorbed them just as quickly. Finally, Iceman appeared behind Pyro and as he prepared to toss another gout of flame, Inferno absorbed it as Iceman shot a stream of ice, encasing Pyro in a pillar that left only his head free. The two X-Men exchanged high fives as Pyro struggled within his frozen bounds, shouting something to the both of them. They turned to him, I assume to say something back when a flash of movement to the side caught my eye and I watched in horror as Echo's katana flew through the air, seemingly of its own accord, and impaled Inferno right through the chest with enough force to throw him into the side of the train, pinning him there. His eyes were wide and Storm flew down from the sky to assist him, but there was nothing she could do. A huge gout of blood erupted from his mouth and his head fell forward. I knew he was dead.

Another massive pain wracked my body and I gasped again, breathing hard. This time, I made a note of the time so I could pay attention to what was happening to me. I was almost thirty-eight weeks pregnant by this time, so even if I did go into labor, it wasn't that big of a deal. I just didn't want things to progress too far before Logan got home. He'd be pissed enough that I'd snuck out of bed; if he missed the birth of our child because of that, he'd never forgive me. The pain passed and I looked again to the screen.

Totem was still pinned to the side of the train, struggling weakly to fight his way towards Magneto and Logan at the front of the train. Suddenly, the com crackled to life again. "Storm to Shadowcat. Take Gambit and get into that train! I don't know what he's doing to Wolverine but it doesn't sound pretty!" I gasped and covered my mouth, tears springing to my eyes. I knew how powerful Magneto was and I knew that he could probably force the metal off of our bones with about as much effort as I would use to swat a fly. I watched as Shadowcat grabbed Gambit and the two of them phased through the side of the train. Still cursing the fact that I couldn't see inside, I could only wait and see who would emerge victorious. A couple breaths later, Shadowcat emerged from the train with the President in hand just as an explosion rocked the train. Magneto was thrown through the side of the train, his helmet flying off as he rocketed through the air. Bedlam was there in a flash and grabbed Magneto's hand, shorting out his central nervous system. He convulsed once, twice and was still.

I looked anxiously to the front of the train and saw Gambit emerge supporting Logan. He looked like hell, his uniform slashed so badly there was precious little leather intact as though Magneto had forced him to attack himself. Knowing him, that's just what he'd done. In a matter of minutes, DC police, FBI and the Metro police showed up on the scene to take away those mutants who had been involved in the assault. The remaining Secret Service agents spirited the President away, I assumed to a waiting car to get him off the scene as quickly as possible. Storm and Cyclops spoke for a moment to a man whose clothing and appearance screamed "FBI" before returning to their respective jets. Atlas pulled the katana out of Inferno's chest and gently gathered him into his arms, carrying the body reverently to Blackbird Two. Gambit was still helping Logan when the FBI guy stopped them. They spoke quickly, Logan shaking his head and pointing to the jet before motioning to the man to clear away. He did so and Logan stepped up the ramp.

The com sprang to life again. "Wolverine to base. Mission accomplished. We lost Inferno."

"Affirmative Wolverine. Return to base…"

I grabbed the com from him. "Are you fucking crazy?" I shouted.

"Hellcat? What in bloody hell are you doin' in the office?"

"Don't give me that right now! What were you thinking, going in there knowing what Magneto can do to us?"

"I was doin' my damn job, that's what!"

"You didn't have to be the one to go in there with the President! You had to know that Magneto would want the honor of killing him for himself! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"You shoulda been in bed all this time an' you woulda never known the difference!"

"Oh, so I got up twelve hours early. Sue me. You still should have let someone else handle that! Shadowcat would have been perfect for the job!"

"I was the team leader. It was my responsibility to take the hard job. You know how it is on an op, so don't give me this shit!"

"Logan, I swear to the fucking gods, when you get back here I'm…" I gasped suddenly as another major pain swept through me, followed by an unmistakable gush. "Oh fuck. Lover, get home fast."

"What happened? Are you all right?"

"Fine, just fine. But my water just broke."

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**AN:** A cliffie of a different color...:) So what do you think? Is it a boy or a girl? And for those of you who already know, don't tell:) Special thanks to Zac and Turiel Tincdaniel for being the best beta readers ever...Extra Special thanks to DBk(tm) for being so supportive and so annoying at the same time...Super Special thanks to me readers for sticking with me for the entire ride...and Super Swanky Special thanks to my reviewers, who were theNightEnchantress, sela103 and reeltreble1031...sela: you might be crazy, but your reviews are always a pleasure to see...:) reeltreble: glad you liked it (and Bennington)...won't be seeing much of him, he's a peripheral character at best, even in future stories (yes, the next one is being written even as i'm typing this!) theNightEnchantress: thanks for the review!

**Now is your chance to get the next chapter up early! All you have to do is click the "review" button and leave me some feedback...your reviews are not only welcome, but necessary for me to know what you think of the story!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Special Notice:** My most heartfelt thanks go out to **Dee (MidLifeCrisis)** for co-authoring this chapter with me...really, she did all the hard stuff and i just put it into (more or less) my own words...there's plenty in here that she wrote outright and i just kept it and filled in the blanks, especially the complicated medical stuff...so, to show your appreciation of her knowledge and expertise, go check out her story "More Than Yesterday, Less Than Tomorrow", along with the others in her profile...i guarantee, you won't be disappointed!

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Chapter 22.

(Logan)

"What!" I shouted into the com and turned to Sam. "Get us home, now!"

"I heard, we're taking off." He replied calmly.

I strapped myself into the co-pilot's seat. "Darlin', hold on. I'll be there soon."

"Logan, there's a really bad thunderstorm right now." She replied. "Buzz just took a look and there's power lines and trees down all over."

I cursed softly. Dr. Owens had really wanted her to give birth at a hospital, a situation neither of us liked one bit. But it looked like we were getting our way after all. "Is there any way to get out?"

"All the pilots are with you." She gasped and I heard her breathing hard. "Logan, please hurry."

"When did the pains start?"

"I don't know. I was feeling off before you even left for DC. So I think it was gonna happen tonight no matter what."

"Well, we'll let the doc be the judge of that. You just hang in there, I'll have Storm smooth the way."

"I love you. I'm sorry."

"Love you too, tiger. Wolverine out." I got on the regular radio to the other jet. "Storm, where are you?"

"Just a little ahead of you, why?" She replied.

"We gotta get back ASAP, Hellcat's in labor."

"What? Isn't it a little early?"

"Just a little, nothin' to really worry 'bout. She says there's bad weather at home. I need you to ease things up a bit."

"I'll do what I can, but you know that if I do that, it might mess something up somewhere else."

"I ain't askin' ya to get rid of the whole thing. Just make a path we can slip through that's not as bad."

"I'm on it. Blackbird One out."

The flight that only took about half an hour to get to DC took nearly twice that long with the weather. Storm determined that this system was pretty far-reaching and she didn't want to do too much to it. It was powerful enough that just a little too much of a nudge could make it escalate elsewhere into something that dropped tornadoes or even a hurricane and she didn't want to be responsible for that. I didn't blame her one bit, but I was still ready to tear my own hair out when we made our final approach.

The landing was a little bumpy, especially because we still didn't have anywhere underground to store the two new jets. The plans had been drafted, but the construction hadn't started yet. As soon as Sam lowered the ramp, I was out of the jet in a flash, running through the rain towards the mansion. I was starting to sense a theme in my life. Whenever something monumentally horrible happened to me, there was a storm. I'd almost lost Angela to one in a far-off jungle a lifetime ago. I thought I'd lost Rogue in one a little less than a year ago. And now my woman was in labor during one. I did my best to smother my panic as I hit the patio doors hard enough that one of them shattered. I didn't care, I ran to the stairs and all the way down, stripping off the remnants of my uniform on the way. I quickly grabbed a pair of sweats and a shirt out of the cabinet in the locker room, pulled them on and ran to the infirmary.

Hank met me at the door. "Well Logan, looks like today's the day!" He said cheerfully. "Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be." I mumbled. "Where is she?"

"Right this way."

Hank ushered me into the back of the infirmary, where Angela was already on the birthing bed that Dr. McCoy had requisitioned, "just in case", he'd said. It was a little larger than the other ones and more comfortable, with stirrups for her feet and side rails in case she needed to spend the night on it. With those things up, it looked like some kind of torture device, which Hank assured me it wasn't. Made me glad for the millionth time that I wasn't a woman.

As I rushed in, Angela looked up at me. "It's goddamn well about time you got your ass back here!"

Oh yeah! I could feel the love! 'Maybe I oughtta back away slowly? Come back when things are friendlier maybe?' I thought.

Suddenly, she curled up into a ball and groaned. "Fuck! It hurts!"

"Come on Angela," Rogue said, standing at her side. "Breathe!"

"I'll take over kid," I told her and slid into the bedside chair. Show time. I hoped that Lamaze shit we'd learned was all it was cracked up to be. "Darlin', look at me."

"Uhh!" Her eyes were glued shut and she had a death grip on the bed rails.

"Open your eyes." I got right in her face and she cracked one eye a bit. "That's good. Together now, breathe."

"Hee, hee, hee, hoo. Hee, hee, hee, hoo."

'Why do I feel so fuckin' stupid?' I couldn't help but think.

"Hee, hee, hee, hooooooo," she sighed. "It's over." She grabbed my hand and smiled at me. "Don't listen to me. I'm so glad you're finally here."

"Love you too, darlin'." I replied bringing her delicate hand to my lips. "Hank says we're gonna have a baby today. Says it won't be too long."

"I hope not. My back's killing me."

"Hey, lemme fix that for ya." I moved around to the other side and smoothed my hands over her back. She was purring within seconds.

"Lower. Can you dig your knuckles into my lower back?"

"You got it."

"Oh yes! I hope this is as good for you as it is for me." She teased.

"For sure, tiger. I'm so ready."

We both laughed and she added, "After the last couple weeks, I know you are, stud. Light's at the end of the tunnel." Her eyes twinkled with mischief and I knew she was just as ready as I was.

"Marie sweetie?" Angela said, "You didn't hear that. Comprende?"

"Huh? Can't hear ya Angela." She replied, smirking. "Nope, can't hear a thing."

"Smart girl. Hey, would you mind refilling the ice chips?"

"You got it."

"Hey, ain't I supposed to be in charge here?" I complained.

"Only if you wanna trade places. Uh oh…"

I checked my watch, " 'Nother one?" Two minutes had passed since the last one. Damn! I quit rubbing her back to get her to focus on breathing again. Bad idea.

"Don't you dare stop!" She groaned. "I can do the damn breathing by m'self." She breathed through that contraction while I continued to dig my knuckles into her lower back. At the end, she made a sound that was almost pleasurable then settled back and smiled at me. "Lover, you have the most amazing hands."

"So you've told me." I replied, smoothing the hair from her forehead. Marie came back with another cupful of ice chips, which Angela took gratefully. After she popped a couple in her mouth, I took the cup away from her. She leveled a death glare at me. "Logan, I want those."

"I know, angel. But Dr. Owens said not to overdo it. Don't want ya throwin' up all over me."

"Beast."

"No, that's me my dear." Hank said and Angela chuckled softly. "He's Wolverine." He checked her vitals and the fetal heart monitor. "Everything's going just fine, Angela. Shouldn't be much longer."

"I hope not. This sucks. I don't remember it sucking this much before."

I rubbed her back some more and she leaned into me, purring once again. "You can do it, tiger. Our boy's comin' tonight."

"Could still be a girl, you know." She said and gasped once again. She started her breathing and I continued working on her back, Marie hovering nearby in case she was needed.

"Come on, angel. Just concentrate on my voice." I coached. "You can do this, just keep breathing."

"Hee, hee, hee, hooooooo." She breathed out and leaned back into me. "Ice, please." She pleaded and I popped another chip into her mouth. "Gods, this hurts so much! I can't stand it. Are you sure there's nothing you can give me?"

Hank shook his head. "I'm afraid not. We don't have anything that'll be effective on you long enough to make a difference."

She groaned and closed her eyes again. I stroked her forehead and kissed it softly. "C'mon, darlin'. We've been through worse before."

"Says you." She mumbled.

"How far apart are the contractions?" Hank asked.

"Two minutes on the dot," I replied.

"Duration?"

"Fuck if I know."

"Hmm! I need to know."

Angela moaned as another pain took control. I glanced at my watch. "Yo Hank, make that just a minute since the last one."

"Hee, hee- quit hee, hee- looking at your- hee, hee- fucking-hee, hee,-watches-hee, hee!" she gasped. "Aarrgghh! Looogaan!"

I made her look me in the eyes again. "Together- hee, hee, hee."

She copied me. "Hee, hee, heee-Noooo. Hurts."

"I know darlin'. It's a long one. Be over soon, I promise." I hoped it would be over soon. My watch said damn near two minutes.

"Uunnhh," she exhaled and collapsed back onto the pillow. "Long one! Ya think?"

Patting my woman's hand, Hank was nauseatingly upbeat, "Sounds like we're making progress."

"I fucking hope so." Angela snapped. "I'm about to have Logan just kill me and let you cut this thing out. I don't know how much mo…oh crap!"

She moaned loudly as another contraction wracked her tiny body. Just when we thought it was over, another one started, followed by another. It felt like forever, but I think it was really only about six minutes all told. Still, seeing my woman in so much pain was killing me and I'd have done anything to spare her from it. By the end, she was nearly hyperventilating and it took me a few tense moments to calm her down. At least she didn't throw up on me.

"Aarrgghh! Gotta push!" She moaned and grabbed my shoulders for dear life. "Gotta push now!" She emphasized with growl. Her claws came out and dug into my skin.

I grunted in pain with a grimace. "Angela, honey! Retract---now!" I said, clenching my teeth.

She pulled her hands away and her fingertips were bloody. "Oh gods! Logan, I'm so sorry. I don't remember this happening when I had Emma."

"S'ok darlin. Little blood lettin's," I winced and flexed my shoulders, "good for—Aw, never mind. Healed already."

She smiled a little and I kissed her forehead. Hank came back over, snapping on a rubber glove. "Ok, my dear. I have to give you a pelvic exam now. I'll be as gentle as I can, I promise."

"Mm-hmm." She said and frowned as he performed the exam. "So, is it time yet?"

"Not yet, I'm afraid." He replied, removing the glove and tossing it in a nearby trashcan. "You still have about another centimeter to go, ok?"

"Fuck no it's not ok!" She moaned as another contraction gripped her. "It hurts so bad!"

Her claws came out again and I gave her little shake. "Angela, listen to Blue. Retract and stop trying to push!"

"Logan, I can't do this. Don't make me do this!" She whimpered and my heart clenched in my chest. Her claws came out again and I gave her another gentle shake. She growled and pointed her claws at my groin. "Do that again and you'll be singing first soprano for the Vienna Boy's Choir!"

"Darlin', the doc knows what he's doing. Just listen to him and everything will be over soon."

She nodded and breathed a sigh, but immediately gasped again as another contraction started. I could smell how much pain she was in and my inner animal was clawing at my mind to be set free to help release her from that pain. I clenched my teeth and beat the animal back. I didn't have time to fight with it; I had more important things to worry about. Just when I thought her contraction was over, another one started and I could smell tears start to form in her eyes. I made her look at me as she breathed, whispering encouragement and smoothing her hair. After an eternity, that one ended too.

Hank came back and did another exam, but came up with a frown on his face. "Hmm, that's not so good."

"What?" I asked, scowling. "Somethin' wrong?"

"The baby isn't turned properly. I'll have to consult with Dr. Owens on what she wants me to do." He snapped open his cell phone and inserted an earpiece. He dialed a number and as he waited for Dr. Owens to pick up, he looked over to Rogue. "Marie, would you be so kind as to call Charles down here please? We may need his assistance."

"Sure Hank." She said and dashed over to the internal phone.

"Doc, is there somethin' you ain't tellin' us?" I asked, scowling.

"What? Oh no, nothing at all." He replied, tapping his foot as he waited. "I would just feel better with someone down here to attend the fetal heart monitor in case I get distracted with…Dr. Owens? Hank McCoy here. Yes, I'm calling about Angela…no, I'm sorry that won't be possible…yes, her water broke over an hour ago…yes I know that's what you wanted, but…Dr. Owens, with all due respect, her labor has already progressed beyond the point where…I know, but I am perfectly capable of delivering a baby…yes, if you can make it out here, that would be fine, but there are some trees and power lines down…of course…yes, the reason for my call…It appears we've got a malpresentation; occiput posterior, if my memory of my eons ago medical school obstetrics rotation serves me…ok…yes…yes…I see…very well, thank you Dr. Owens…No, everything should be fine now…yes, I will call you back if anything else comes up."

The conversation took less than five minutes, but it was five minutes more that my woman had to suffer and I didn't like it one bit. "What'd she say, Doc?"

"She advised me how to get the baby to turn on its own." He replied as he lowered one of the side rails. "Angela, I know this is a lot to ask, but I need you to stand up and lean against the side of the bed."

"Fuck you and the horse you rode in on, Blue." She snapped.

"Perhaps later. Right now, you need to do this or your labor will go on much longer than necessary." She glared at him, but reached out and took his hand. He helped her stand and showed her how to lean over the bed. He directed me to stand behind her and to rub her lower back as hard as she could stand as soon as her next contraction started. The Professor came in accompanied by Storm just as that happened and he took position near the fetal monitor.

Angela was beyond doing the breathing at this point and Storm rushed over and stood across from her, placing her hands over Angela's and whispering encouragement. I massaged her lower back, but I could smell her pain increasing along with her frustration and I bit back a growl. "Hank, please, I _need_ to push! Please!" She begged.

"Just a couple more contractions, my dear." He said mildly. "We have to make sure the baby is in the correct position, for both your and his safety."

Finally, the contraction was over and she collapsed to her elbows, gasping. I felt a sudden cool breeze and I saw Storm's eyes had glazed over white. I smiled at her and nodded my thanks, which she returned with a wink. I leaned over and stroked Angela's hair. "You're doin' great, tiger. Almost there."

"Logan, I don't know how much more of this I can take. Please, there has to be something we can do!"

"We're doin' all we can, angel. We can do this, _you_ can do this!"

She nodded and Hank instructed her to get back on the bed, which he lowered a little, and to get into a squatting position. "You're fucking crazy, you know that?" She said.

"So I've been told. Nevertheless, this is what Dr. Owens said to do." She glared at him, but complied and just in time. Another contraction wracked her body and I continued to massage her back as Storm bathed her face with a cool cloth that she seemed to have produced from nowhere. I looked around and saw that Marie had brought a basin of water over and I smiled at her too. She returned it weakly and I could smell the anxiety coming off of her. At least she wasn't showing it, which was good. Still, Angela was practically screaming in pain and it was all I could do to hold myself together.

That contraction passed and Angela sat back gratefully. She looked at me and tears started pouring down her face. "Logan, I can't do this." She said, shaking her head. "I can't."

I wrapped my arms around her. "Yes, you can. I know you can!"

"No, Logan. It's too much."

Hank came back beside me and I turned to him with a scowl, which he ignored. "Angela, just one more, all right?" He told her to get on all fours, then told me to again massage her lower back. The next contraction hit her and it was the worst one as far as I could tell. She started out with a low groan, but the next thing I knew, she was screaming. That was it for me.

"Damn it McCoy! What the fuck are you playin' at?" I snarled, my claws itching to pop out. "Can't you see you're killin' her?"

Hank crossed his arms and scowled. "I am doing no such thing, Logan and overreacting will not make this any easier for her! Now either you do as I say or so help me I'll have you removed from the infirmary!"

"Just fuckin' try it, bub." I growled. The contraction finally passed and I helped Angela get turned back over and settled. She was crying harder by then and her claws were out again. "That should be it, darlin'. We're almost there."

"You keep saying that, but it still isn't true." She whimpered.

I scowled at Hank again, who was once again examining her. When he looked up again, he was smiling. "Great! The baby's turned!" He patted her on the knee. "Next contraction, you can push."

"It's about fucking time." She muttered and I couldn't have agreed with her more. Storm once again produced that wonderful breeze, while Rogue gave her a couple more ice chips and bathed her forehead. I helped her get into position and stood beside her, holding her hand. Less than a minute later, it started.

"Ahh- aww. Here comes one." She moaned.

"All right.!" I said and smiled. "Ok now. Deep breath, darlin'. Now, push it, two, three, four, five, six, seven. Ok, let it go."

She sank back into the pillows, "Phew!"

I wiped her brow and pressed the cup of ice chips to her lips. "You're doing great." Out of nowhere, after all that we'd just been through, she got the giggles. "What's so funny?" I ask.

"Just hearing you telling me to push it. It's usually me screaming at you to push it when you're banging my brains out."

"Ok, this qualifies as TMI," Marie said, blushing.

Hank, ever the sharp wit, added to Marie's embarrassment. "Ahem! I do believe it was activities such as our little mother just described that precipitated today's event."

I copped my best stupid grin. "Is that what it was? Hell. An' all along they been tellin' me it's somethin' in the water."

"You are such a smartass, lover." Angela said with a smile. "But I still love you." Before I could answer, another contraction started. She gripped my hand tightly but I dodged the claws this round.

I coached her through that one, then two more, when Hank suddenly looked up at me, a twinkle in his eye. "Logan, would you like to see the baby's head?"

Would I? Hell yes! Angela nodded and I moved to the end of the table. Storm took my place for the next contraction and I watched in fascination as my child's head began to emerge. There wasn't really much to see, just a lot of thick, black hair, but it was still amazing. I smiled and took my place back at the side of my mate. "He's gonna be gorgeous, tiger. You did good."

"_We_ did good." She said and smiled at me.

"I don't want to be the cause of any alarm," Xavier said with a frown, "but there was a drop in the fetal heart tone during that last push."

"Hmmm!" Hank said, clearly concerned but not panicked. "Angela my dear, we need to get this baby born now."

"Well what in bloody hell do you think I've been trying to do?" She snapped. "Knit booties?"

I looked over at Hank, who was busying himself with an oxygen tank and mask. "Doc, is everything all right?" I asked, starting to worry.

"Yes, everything's just fine. But still, just as a precaution, have her breathe with this between pushes."

"Is there somethin' you ain't tellin' me?" I growled.

"Not at all. Each time she bears down it puts pressure on the baby and the cord. A bit of supplemental oxygen eases things for mother and baby." I couldn't smell any lies on him, so I did as he said.

Angela moaned as another contraction started. I held her hand and coached her through it, making sure she kept her eyes focused on me. When it was over, Hank looked up with another smile. "Angela, Logan? Would you like to touch his head?"

I helped her sit up a little and sure enough, there he was. He had a full head of dark hair, sticking up already, but he was an odd shade of purplish-red. I looked up in alarm. "Doc, why is he purple?"

"It's perfectly normal, Logan." I heard the Professor say from behind me and I whipped my head around to look at him. "He'll turn pink once he's born, I assure you." Again, I could smell no lies, so I took another look at my baby, then reached down and gently stroked his tiny head. My heart swelled with emotion and I coughed a little and looked down until I was in control of myself.

"Oh gods, I have to push again." Angela said and leaned forward. I coached her through it, counting it down with her until it was over.

"Hank, the heart rate has dropped again and it's not coming back up to safe levels." Xavier said and I felt my own heart clench painfully.

"There was no progression with that last push either." Hank said and I caught the first whiff of anxiety that he'd shown all night. He pulled out his cell phone again and hit the redial. "McCoy here…there's been a drop in the heart rate and no progression since the head emerged…yes, I understand…ok…yes, I'll stay on the line with you from here on." He put in an earpiece and clipped the cell phone to his belt, then looked at Angela apologetically. "My dear, I have to check and see if the umbilical cord is wrapped around his neck. For obvious reasons, this may hurt a bit."

"Do what you gotta do, Blue." She replied and gripped my hand. He carefully maneuvered a hand inside her and she immediately cried out and dug her claws into my flesh. I bit back a curse and let her do it.

"Ah! I feel it!" Hank said. Supporting my son's head with one hand he moved his other hand in an odd twisting kind of motion. A moment later, he looked up with another grin. "All done!"

"Fetal heart tone has returned to normal levels!" Charles proclaimed. Storm offered a prayer of thanks and Rogue sighed deeply.

McCoy patted her gently on the knee. "That means you can push again, my dear."

"Thank the fucking gods." She said, then noticed the wounds healing on my hand. "Oh Logan! I'm sorry!"

"S'ok angel. Anythin' to make this easier for you."

"Really? Then you can have the next one. You know it's only coming out of one place." She said and looked pointedly at my groin. I scowled at her playfully and she smiled, which quickly turned to a grimace. "Oh, time to push again!" She cried and leaned forward again.

When it was over, Hank was frowning. "What's wrong?" I asked, my anxiety returning.

He ignored me completely. "Dr. Owens, nothing's happening." His expression changed to one of panic. "This is not something I wish to hear."

I started to panic along with him. "What?" I growled.

Hank was still consulting with Dr. Owens and ignored me. "How do I know for sure? Very well…Recommendations?… Are we set up for an emergency cesarean? The short answer is no…Listen, you know Angela's mutant capabilities. Beside, the head's delivered…No Zafferelli's Maneuver must be a last resort…McRoberts Maneuver? Explain…"

Angela was still pushing and I was doing my best to focus on her and listen to Hank. I couldn't hear what Dr. Owens was saying but the anxiety pouring off Hank was scaring the shit out of me.

"Fetal heart tone is dropping again." The Professor reported and I could smell the panic coming from everyone in the room. I growled low in my chest, no longer able to contain my own fear.

Now Hank was addressing a very distraught group of people, "Logan! Ororo! Quickly, both of you, get on either side of Angela. Going from under her knees, pull her legs to her chin."

"What the fuck?" I snapped.

"Shoulder dystocia." Hank replied shortly.

"In English, bub!"

"The baby is stuck and we must get him unstuck."

Jesus! This wasn't covered in the classes and the fear gripping my heart made it hard for me to breathe. I tried not to show it, but by the look Angela was giving me, I hadn't succeeded. I took a deep breath and gave her a nod, the only encouragement I could muster at that moment.

"Angela, contraction or not, I want you to bear down with everything you've got." Hank told her.

"It hurts. I can't do it." She moaned, clearly at the end of her rope.

"You must!" Hank commanded.

"Just cut him out!" Angela screamed. "Or kill me and take him! Anything, please!"

"Too late for that. Ororo, Logan, support her legs. Now push Angela."

"Angela, come on baby. You can do it." I soothed as well as I could, knowing she could hear the panic in my voice. "I'm right here. Push, push! We'll do it together."

"Marie," Hank said, "The scissors on the left." Marie pointed to a pair of long, narrow, rounded tipped scissors and he nodded. "Yes, that's the ones. Good girl."

I didn't know what he needed those for, but I couldn't imagine it was a good thing. A growl escaped my throat. Hank's gaze met mine. "I've got to make more room. I promise it won't hurt her or the baby."

I knew I had to trust Hank. He'd never let me down before.

"Fetal heart tones are still low." Charles said and even he couldn't hide the worry in his voice.

"Damn it to hell," Hank cursed and spoke into the cell. "Nothing. Absolutely no forward progress." He listened intently to the Dr. Owens, the look on his face betraying his flagging confidence. Finally, he addressed the labor team again. "Marie, I need you to support Angela's leg, just like Logan did." He gestured toward the bottom of the bed. "Logan, you're not trained but I need your strength. Ororo, continue as you are."

I moved next to him and he placed my hands just above Angela's pelvic bone. "When I tell you, apply firm, even, downward pressure." He instructed. "Do not stop until I say so. Do you understand?" I simply nodded.

"Angela," Hank commanded, "push now. Logan, press." He worked his hand inside her doing God only knows what while he continued to coach me. "Steady. Good. Easy, forward motion. Keep up the pressure."

Angela let out a howl of pain and I looked up just as her eyes fluttered and she blacked out.

I desperately wanted to stop what I was doing and grab her, hold her, but knew I couldn't for fear of losing our baby. It might sound terrible of me to say this, but Angela would always come back tomorrow. My child might not have that chance. Fortunately, Charles was still free to help her. He reached out and stroked her hand, murmuring to her until her eyes opened again. I almost cried with relief.

"I'm afraid of cervical torsion or clavicle fracture," Hank said into the cell. Suddenly his voice lowered, "Yes, yes. I'm well aware that we may be facing a Section…Yes, I'll try anything at this point…Don't quote me statistics Owens, just tell me what to do…Thank you…"

Sweat was pouring off of him as he looked up. "Change of tactics. Angela, we need you to get on your hands and knees." She protested weakly as Storm and I helped her into position, staying on either side of her. "Angela, this time wait for a contraction and we ARE going to deliver this child." Hank said in all seriousness.

Charles had secured the oxygen mask over her face, so all she could do was nod and moan. I gently stroked her back, then leaned over and kissed her softly on the forehead. "I love you, angel. This is the last one, I promise." She whimpered softly, then moaned again as the contraction started. "C'mon, tiger! This is it! Look at me darlin'!" She turned her head slightly and locked eyes with me. "That's it! You're doin' great! Almost there!" In the meantime, Hank had started to insert his hand inside her again, but suddenly gave a surprised yelp as Angela cried out in what sounded like victory. I looked down and sure enough, our baby was born! "Angela, baby, you did it! He's here!"

Everyone let out a cheer as Hank carefully lifted the baby off the bed and Angela collapsed onto her side with her eyes closed and a groan of relief. I stroked her forehead and she smiled at me, then removed the mask from her face. "You're definitely having the next one." She joked and I grinned like a fool.

"Hey Blue!" I said. "Do we have a boy or a girl here?"

Busy suctioning the baby's nose and mouth and cutting the cord, he didn't answer, so I asked him again. When I was still being ignored, I got nervous. "Doc! Is he ok?" Angela was struggling to sit up and I could smell outright fear on her.

"This little precious had a rough time. Give me a moment." He answered. Hank massaged the baby, then held a small oxygen hose by his nose. He gradually changed color to a healthy looking pink and let out a howl of protest. Angela collapsed back into the pillows and began to cry in relief.

"That's my boy!" I declared with a mixture of relief and pride.

"Ahem!" Hank said and placed our baby on her tummy. "Check the plumbing you two."

We looked closer and Angela began to laugh softly. "I told you it might be a girl!" She said through her tears. She gathered our daughter into her arms and stroked her cheek. "Hello Genevieve. Welcome to the world." Evie turned towards the touch and Angela smiled knowingly. She opened her gown and nestled our baby to her breast. My little angel latched on to my big angel like a barracuda.

I collapsed back into the chair next to her bed and lowered my head, my hands resting on Angela's. I couldn't hold anything back anymore; the emotional roller coaster of the past couple hours had been the most intense thing I could remember and before I could choke it back, a sob escaped from my throat. I felt her shaking and looked up to see that she was still crying, too. "Hey lover, it's all right. We're all here now."

"Angela, I coulda lost both of ya tonight. I know it was close, no matter what Blue was tellin' us." I choked back another sob, but the tears still fell from my eyes. "You were in so much pain, baby, an' there was nothin' I could do to help you."

"It's ok, Logan. We're both all right, see?" I looked up and she was smiling at me, our baby still nursing at her breast and my heart swelled with new emotion.

I thought I understood what it was like to love someone when I found Angela again, but I didn't know anything. She was so beautiful at that moment and I fell in love with her all over again, only it was different this time, so much so that I simply do not have the words to describe how it felt. _This_ was what it meant to love someone, this new feeling that overwhelmed me.

After a while, Genevieve decided she'd had enough and Hank took her away gently to clean her off, weigh and measure her. Angela dozed off and I sat there, stroking her hair while I watched her sleep.

When Hank returned, the baby was wrapped in a soft pink blanket. "Ten pounds, nine ounces, twenty-one and a half inches." He stated and I smiled again.

Angela stirred and opened her eyes. "My dear, you have a very lovely daughter." He said, then started to hand her back to Angela, but she shook her head and motioned to me. Hank nodded in understanding and held her out. I took her carefully into my arms and fresh tears sprang into my eyes.

Hank cleared his throat quietly before speaking again. "Genevieve, meet your daddy."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**AN:** Yeah, it's a girl...for the record, the gender was actually chosen by coin toss, since i didn't have a preference either way...:) Any other children they may have in the future (and there's NO guarantees on that!) will be decided the same way...Special thanks to Zac and Turiel Tincdaniel, beta readers extraordinaire...Extra Special thanks to DBK(tm) for his ongoing support, even if he STILL insists my story is like crack...:) Super Special thanks to my readers, for sticking with me through the whole saga (so far!)...and Extra Super Swanky thanks to my reviewers, who were theNightEnchantress, sela103 and reeltreble1031...:) NightEnchantress - i update every three days unless someone takes the plunge and reviews for the first time...:) So blame them that you had to wait! sela - like i said, i left the gender up to the hoary whims of fate and it was a girl...maybe next time, eh? reeltreble - glad you liked the last chapter, hope this one measured up!

**Now, my next update is scheduled for Oct. 21 and it's the VERY LAST part of the story...so, if you want to see it sooner, then please review...:)**


	23. Interlude and Epilogue

Interlude: Washington D.C.

A few hours after the DC Metro incident, the President entered his office and was surprised to see someone waiting there for him. Whoever it was obviously didn't pose any threat, because his personal Secret Service agents hadn't prevented him from entering the Oval Office. Still, this was not a common occurrence and the President was understandably wary.

"May I help you?" He asked and the man turned around.

"Actually, I believe you can." He replied as he stood, then waited for the President to settle in behind his desk before taking his own seat again.

The President looked this man over and the only thing that could be considered remarkable about him was his height; everything else about him was utterly forgettable. "So, may I ask your business, Mr…?"

"Who I am isn't important, Mr. President." He replied mildly.

"I beg to differ!" The President moved his hand towards a button underneath his desk that would call his Secret Service agents in to protect him. "I demand to know your name!"

The man smiled, but it was cold. "Don't bother pressing the alarm, Mr. President. No one knows I'm here. I do not exist. But I can assure you that I mean you no harm."

"So what in hell are you doing here?"

The man leaned forward and looked at the President intently. "I know what you've been trying to do. I know all about Project Wideawake, your personal agenda with that Project and your so-called reasons for justifying using the Project in that manner."

"How dare you? My father was killed by a mutant!"

The man sprang from his chair and leaned over the President's desk. "YOUR FATHER WAS KILLED BY A DRUNK DRIVER!" He shouted. "The only mutation that man had was the ability to create water! And not even very much water, only about a cup at a time. His being mutant was incidental to the accident that killed your father!" He smoothed his tie and sat back down. "Need I remind you, the mutant was killed as well."

"How do you know all of this?" The President asked, clearly shocked.

"You do not need to know that. But this is what you are going to do. You will rescind the order to activate Project Wideawake and recall any Sentinels that are in the field immediately. You will rescind the order for the arrest and detainment without trial of mutants who are merely _suspected_ of terrorist activities. I will concede that the mutants who were captured as a result of the DC Metro incident are justifiably imprisoned, so nothing needs to be done there. However, you will cease and desist any other activities that are specifically anti-mutant in nature immediately."

"Just who are you to tell me what to do? I'm the President of the United States!"

"For the moment." The man stood and looked down at the leader of the free world. "You will stop your vendetta against mutants. Now. Before you need to _be_ stopped."

The President narrowed his eyes. "Is that a threat?"

"No sir. That is a fact. Good day." The man left the Oval Office through the back door. No one tried to stop him and later, no one would even remember him. Except for the President.

Terrence Bennington left the White House and turned towards his office. He knew that the President would be reluctant to do what he'd been told and in a way, this saddened him. Granted, he still had several steps to take before resorting to assassination, but it was something he had to keep in mind, just in case. Still, as he knew, a word here, a slight nudge there and a single man could move a mountain.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Epilogue

(Angela)

Hank let us move back to our little suite just a few hours later. He wasn't sure, but he felt confident that my healing factor would take care of all the after birth issues in less than the six weeks it takes for a normal human. I admit that my memory of the post-partum period after I had Emma was fuzzy at best and since I wasn't with anyone back then, well...I didn't really pay attention. The episiotomy had already healed by the time I was settled into bed and I drifted off to sleep with a smile of contentment.

I woke up a few hours later and I was still alone in the bed. I sat up a little, straining my ears and I could hear Logan in the nursery, murmuring softly to our daughter.

"…hope that I'll be a good daddy to ya. I've been around a real long time an' stuff ain't always easy 'round me. An' I hope that when you grow up, you'll understand if I'm a little growly with the boys. You're my little angel an' I ain't gonna let anyone hurt you."

I stood carefully, slid on my robe and padded softly to the nursery door. Logan was sitting next to her bassinet, stroking her dark head gently with one finger. I leaned against the doorframe and smiled as I kept listening. "Now, your mommy, she's a real hero. She's been fightin' for other people for a long time. She fought to bring me outta some real bad places a few times now, she fights to keep all the people in this house safe an' she fought like hell to bring you into the world today. Sometimes I don't know why she fought so hard for me, but you I understand."

"Because I love you, Logan." I said and he looked up.

"Hey tiger." He said and I walked over to where he was sitting. He slipped his arm around me and pulled me down to the arm of the chair. "Just tellin' Evie how lucky she is to have you for a mom."

"She's luckier to have you for a daddy." I said and he snorted softly. "It's true. No child has ever been safer than this one, because she's got you to protect her."

"No, she's got _us._ An' everyone else in this crazy place. It'd take an entire army to get to her an' they'd hafta kill every one of us to do it."

I nodded and looked down at our daughter. For the first time since I'd lost Emma, I felt whole again. I had people that I cared about and a purpose greater than myself. I had a mate that I loved so completely that I could no longer imagine my life without him. And we had a daughter, who bound us together even more deeply than the primal instincts that mated us for life.

Evie stirred and started to whimper softly. Logan leaned over and picked her up gently, cradling her close to his heart. As I looked at the two of them together, a bit of Shakespeare sprang into my mind. "What a piece of work is man! How noble in reason! How infinite in faculties! In form and moving how express and admirable! In action how like an angel! In apprehension how like a god! The beauty of the world, the paragon of animals!" Watching my mate, I could believe that the Bard had him in mind when he wrote that passage. I marveled at the sight for a moment before taking our daughter from him and settling into the chair to nurse. He stood over us protectively and watched, his expression one of wonder. Finally, we were complete.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_On the other side of the country, a woman sits in an office and waits to be contacted by her superior three thousand miles away. The computer monitor in front of her springs to life and she looks impassively at the man sitting there. After entering her personal encryption code, she waits for the man to speak._

_"Tigress, I hope you have something good to tell me." He says._

_"Yes, Director." She replies. " I've had a report from one of the clairvoyants."_

_"Go on."_

_"They've done it. Hellcat gave birth to Wolverine's child a few hours ago."_

_The Director steeples his fingers and leans forward on the desk. "Any clues as to its possible mutations?"_

_"Not at this time. Even children born to mutants don't manifest their mutations until puberty under normal circumstances."_

_"What about abnormal ones?"_

_"Unless the situation is extreme, the earliest we can count on is age ten."_

_He sits back in his chair and frowns in thought. "Very well. We will continue as we have until such time that the child exhibits its powers. Move Project Prodigal back into the active files. Recall Demon and Vulture from Beijing and have them report to me directly. However, we will not be retrieving Hellcat and Wolverine at this time. We'll let them come to us."_

_"How so, if I may ask?"_

_"It's very simple, Tigress. When the time comes, we will take their child."_

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The End.

(for now)

* * *

**AN:** Well, that's it! End of the ride...:) As always, my heartfelt thanks go out to each and every one of you for sticking with me through this long process of telling this story...and, as you can see, it's not over yet...:) Now, i have some news...i've signed up for NaNoWriMo...for those of you not familiar with this, it's National Novel Writer's Month and it takes place for all of November...it's basically a challenge to write an original 50,000 word novel in 30 days...it is my sincere hope to have the next installment of this saga in the can by then, but if not well...you'll probably have to wait until December to see what happens next...:) Now, before you get all up in arms about this, i have recently gotten a jump drive and do a lot of writing at work as well as at home, so i'm able to crank out more pages and get them sent to beta in record time...i only have about 5 more chapters (or so) to write before it's done and i don't post anything until the whole story's finished, beta'd and ready to go...you all will be the third people to know if i succeed in finishing, after me and my beta readers...:) If nothing else, wish me luck for NaNoWriMo! 


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